Dr.  Norton  B.  Stern 


MT7 


Sm  MOSES  MONTEFIORE. 

After  a  Photogiai  h  by  F.lliot  &  Fry,  Londoa 


SIR  MOSES  MOM^EFIORE 

;2l  dTfutcnuial  Ciograpljg 

WITH 

SELECTIONS  FROM  LETTERS  AND  JOURNALS 


By  LUCIEN   WOLF 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    FRANKLIN    SQUARE 
1885 


PKEFACE. 


The  following  biography  has  been  compiled  entirely 
from  official  records  and  other  reliable  data.  I  have  to 
thank  many  kind  friends  for  their  assistance.  Mr.  E,  H. 
Lindo,  Secretary  to  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  Syna- 
gogue, and  Mr.  Lewis  Emanuel,  Secretary  to  the  Board 
of  Deputies,  opened  to  me  the  important  archives  com- 
mitted to  their  care.  Mr.  J.  B.  Montefiore,  Mr.  F.  D. 
Mocatta,  Mr.  H.  Guedalla,  Dr.  L.  Loewe,  Mr.  Edwin 
Arnold,  and  Signor  Cesar  Olivetti  of  Turin  placed  at  my 
disposal  a  great  deal  of  anecdotic  and  other  information, 
and  Mr.  Guedalla  most  painstakinglj-  revised  the  proof- 
sheets.  Among  the  sources  of  information  not  acknowl- 
edged in  the  following  pages  I  must  gratefully  mention 
Mr.  Israel  Davis's  Biographical  Sketch  of  Sir  ]\[oses 
Montefiore,  reprinted  from  the  Times;  and  the  files  of 
a  large  number  of  Jewish  newspapers,  particularly  the 
Jewish  World  and  Jewish  Chronicle  of  London. 

L.  W. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FAMILY  AND  EARLY  LIFE. 
The  Montefiore  Family. — Origin  of  its  Name.— Montefiores  at 
Ancona. — Settlement  of  the  Family  in  Leghorn. — Moses  Vita 
Montefiore  Comes  to  England. — Commercial  Career. — Jews  in 
London  in  1760. — Descendants  of  the  Jewish  Hidalgos. — Abra- 
ham Lumbrozo  de  Mattos  Mocatta. — Benjamin  D'Israeli. — Moses 
Vita  Montefiore's  Family. — Adventures  of  Joshua  Montefiore. — 
Sir  Moses'  Father  Marries  a  Daughter  of  Abraham  Mocatta. — 
Antiquity  of  the  Mocatta  Family. — Mose  Mocato  a  Literary  Con- 
temporary of  Spinoza. — Messrs.  Mocatta  &  Goldsmid  of  London. 
— Connection  with  the  Lamegos  and  Disraelis. — Joseph  Eiias 
Montefiore. — His  Family. — Birth  of  Moses  Montefiore. — Moses 
Montefiore's  Education  and  Apprenticeship page  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

COMMERCIAL  CAREER. 
Moses  Montefiore  Enters  the  Stock  Exchange. — Jewish  Brokers. 
— Eminent  Jews  in  the  City. — Abraham  JMontefiore  Joins  his 
Brother. — Nathan  Maier  Rothschild  Establishes  Himself  in  Lon- 
don.— Montefiore's  Marriage. — Connection  of  the  Montefiores  with 
the  Rothschilds. — First  News  of  Waterloo. — Transactions  of  the 
New  Court  Financiers. — Death  of  Abraham  Montefiore. — Retire- 
ment of  Moses  Montefiore. — The  Alliance  Insurance  Company. 
— Story  of  its  Establishment. — The  Imperial  Continental  Gas 
Association. — The  Slave  Loan. — Park  Lane  Sixty  Years  Ago. .  13 

CHAPTER  III. 

FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  HOLY  LAND. 
May  Day,  1837. — The  Start  from  Park  Lane. — London  to  Dover  in 
Twelve  Hours. — Posting  through  France. — Aged  Poor  on  the 
Route. — Dangers  of  Eastern  Travel. — The  Greek  Insurrection 


viii  Contents. 

and  the  Powers. — Pirates  in  the  Mediterranean. — Mr.  Montefiore 
Engages  a  Schooner  and  is  Convoyed  to  Alexandria  by  a  Sloop 
of  War. — Chase  of  a  Pirate. — From  Alexandria  to  Cairo. — Inter- 
view with  Mehemet  Ali. — New  Year  at  Alexandria. — Journey  to 
Jaffa  Disguised  as  Turks. — Reception  at  Jerusalem. — The  Jews 
of  the  Holy  Land. — The  Return  Journey, — Battle  of  Navarino. — 
Admiral  Sir  William  Codrington  Intrusts  Mr.  Montefiore  with 
Despatches. — Home  Again. — Mr.  Montefiore  and  H.  R.  H.  the 
Duke  of  Clarence page  25 

CHAPTER  IV. 

EARLY  COMMUNAL  LABOKS. 
Ineligibility  of  Minors  for  Membership  of  the  Synagogue. — Mr. 
Montefiore  Petitions  the  Council  of  Elders  for  Admission. — Peti- 
tion Granted  on  the  same  Day  that  a  New  Chief  Rabbi  is  Elected. 
— Mr.  Montefiore's  Zeal  in  the  Service  of  the  Synagogue. — He 
holds  Office. — Becomes  Treasurer. — Isaac  D'Israeli's  Synagogue 
Account. — Reaches  the  Dignity  of  Parnass. — Signatures  in  old 
Minute-books.  —  The  ' '  Montefiore"  Almshouses.  —  Extra-syna- 
gogal  Labors. — The  Lavadores. — The  two  "Nations"  in  the  Jew- 
ish Community. — Mr.  Montefiore  Disapproves  of  the  Division. — 
Contributes  by  his  Marriage  and  his  Advice  to  its  Eradication. — 
Devotes  himself  to  the  Emancipation  Struggle. — Becomes  a 
Member  of  the  Board  of  Deputies. — Throws  himself  with  Energy 
into  the  Work. — Purchases  East  CliflE  Lodge. — Could  Jews  hold 
Land? — Former  Residents  at  East  Cliff 36 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  JEWS  OF  ENGLAND  (750-1837). 
Early  History. — Position  in  the  Country  Previous  to  the  Expulsion. 
— Jewish  Learning. — Jewish  Heroism. — Statutum  de  Judaismo. — 
Expulsion  by  Edward  I. — Legend  of  London  Bridge. — Secret 
Visits  to  England. — Return  under  Cromwell. —  Denied  Civil 
Rights. — Disabilities  in  1828. — Mr.  Montefiore  Devotes  himself 
to  the  Emancipation  Struggle. — Early  History  of  the  Movement 
not  Encouraging. — The  "Jew  Bill"  of  1753. — Mr.  Montefiore 
and  the  Repeal  of  the  Test  and  Corporation  Acts. — Interviews 
with  the  Duke  of  Sussex.— Agitation  from  1830  to  1837.— Mr. 
Montefiore  becomes  President  of  the  Board  of  Deputies. — Sheriff 
of  Loudon. — Knighted. — Queen  Victoria  and  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore.—Capital  Punishment. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Marshal 
Soult. — Sir  Moses  turns  his  Attention  to  his  Foreign  Brethren.  .46 


Cmitents.  ix 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SECOND  VISIT  TO  THE  HOLT  LAND. 
Jews  aud  Agriculture. — Mr.  Cobbett's  Taunt. — Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore  Determines  to  Introduce  Agriculture  among  the  Jews  of 
the  Holy  Land. — Journey  to  the  East  for  that  Purpose. — Inves- 
tigates the  Condition  of  European  Communities  on  his  Route. 
— Brussels.  —  Aix-la-Chapelle. —  Strasbourg. —  Avignon. —  Mar- 
seilles.— Nice. —  Genoa. — Florence. — Papal  States. — Disabilities 
of  the  Jews  of  Rome. — Lady  Montefiore  Expresses  her  Indigna- 
tion to  a  Papal  Monsignore. — Dr.  Loewe. — The  Eastern  Ques- 
tion.— Arrival  at  Beyrout. — Progress  through  Palestine. — Enthu- 
siastic Receptions. — Safed. —  Tiberias. —  Jerusalem. — Sir  Moses 
makes  Inquiries  into  the  Condition  of  the  Jews. — Distributes 
Money. — Back  to  Alexandria. — Interview  with  Mehemet  Ali,  who 
Promises  to  Assist  his  Plans. — Return  to  England. — Changes  in 
Eastern  Politics. — Defeat  of  Sir  Moses'  Plans page  57 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  DAMASCUS  DRAMA. 
The  "Red  Spectre"  of  Judaism. — Its  History  and  Origin. — Revival 
of  the  Blood  Accusation  at  Damascus  in  Consequence  of  the  Dis- 
appearance of  Father  Thomas. —The  Fanaticism  of  the  Monks 
and  the  Designs  of  the  French  Consul. — M.  de  Ratti-Menton  sets 
himself  to  Manufacture  a  Case  against  the  Jews. — Secures  the 
Co-operation  of  the  Governor  of  the  City. — Arrest,  Torture,  and 
Confession  of  a  Jewish  Barber. — A  Jewish  Youth  Flogged  to 
Death. — Further  Arrests. — The  Prisoners  Submitted  to  Terrible 
Tortures. — "Wholesale  Seizure  of  Jewish  Children. — Ratti-Men- 
ton's  Mouchards. — Another  Confession. — The  Bottle  of  Human 
Blood. — Two  of  the  Prisoners  Die  under  Torture. — Protests  of  the 
Austrian  Consul. — A  Mass  over  Mutton  Bones. — Attempt  to  Ex- 
cite the  Mussulman  Populace. — The  Prisoners  Condemned  to 
Death.— The  "  Red  Spectre"  at  Rhodes.— Anti- Jewish  Risings.. 71 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  MISSION  TO  MEHEMET  ALI. 
Significance  of  the  new  Blood  Accusation  to  the  Jews  of  England. 
— Appeals  for  Help. — JMeeting  convened  by  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 
— ^Interview  with  Lord  Palraerston. — M.  Cremieux  has  an  Audi- 
ence of  Louis  Philippe. — Action  of  Prince  Metternich. — Mehemet 
Ali  takes  Alarm,  aud  Appoints  a  Consular  Commission  of 
Inquiry. — French   Intrigues. — M.    Thiers  Protests  against    the 


K  Contents. 

Inquiry. — Resolve  to  send  a  Mission  to  Mehemet  Ali,  headed 
by  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. — Debate  in  Parliament. — Indignation 
Meeting  at  the  Mansion  House.  —  Acquittal  of  the  Jews  of 
Rhodes. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  arrives  at  Alexandria,  and  Inter- 
views the  Viceroy. — Hesitation  of  Mehemet  Ali. — Intrigues  of  the 
French  Consul. — Sir  Moses  Montefi ore's  Diplomacy. — Its  Happy 
Results, — Release  of  the  Damascus  Prisoners. — The  Eastern 
Question. — Egypt  and  the  Quadruple  Alliance. — Mehemet  Ali 
Loses  Syria. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  Proceeds  to  Constantino- 
ple, and  Obtains  an  Important  Firman  from  the  Sultan. — The 
Journey  Home. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Louis  Philippe. 
— Rejoicings  of  the  Jews. — Royal  Recognition  of  Sir  Moses'  Ef- 
forts  PAGE  84 

CHAPTER  IX. 

FIVE  YEARS  OP  HOME  WORK. 
Synagogal  Labors. — Sir  Moses'  Popularity. — Visits  to  the  Congrega- 
tional Schools. — He  helps  to  promote  Education  in  the  Jewish 
Community. — Jews'  College,  the  Jews'  Hospital,  and  the  Free 
School. — The  Board  of  Deputies. — Its  Constitution  and  Functions. 
— Sir  Moses  Corresponds  with  Sir  James  Graham  and  Sir  Robert 
Peel  in  respect  to  Various  Bills  before  Parliament. — Foreign 
Affairs. — The  Holy  Land. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  Establishes  a 
Loan  Fund,  a  Printing  Establishment,  and  a  Linen  Factory  at 
Jerusalem. — Assists  Agricultural  Schemes,  and  Founds  a  Free 
Dispensary. — He  Raises  a  Relief  Fund  for  the  Jews  of  Smyrna. — 
Promotes  the  Building  of  a  Khan  at  Beyrout. — The  Blood  Accu- 
sation at  Marmora. ~-Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Sir  Stratford  Can- 
ning.— The  Jews  of  Morocco. — Correspondence  with  Bokhara. — 
The  "  Reform"  Movement  in  the  Anglo- Jewish  Community. .  100 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  JEWISH  QUESTION  IN  RUSSIA. 

Oppressed  Condition  of  the  Jews  of  Russia. — Seriousness  of  tlie 
Russo-Jewish  Question. — Its  Origin  Religious,  not  Secular. — The 
Modern  Charges  Refuted  by  History. — Review  of  Russo-Jewish 
History. — First  Settlements  of  the  Jews  in  the  South. — Conversion 
of  the  Khozars  to  Judaism. — A  Jewish  Kingdom  in  Russia. — The 
Civilizing  Influences  of  the  Jews. — Inroads  of  the  Tartars  and 
Extinction  of  the  Khozars. — Jewish  Settlements  in  the  West. — 
Their  Privileges. — Gratifying  Results  of  Jewish  Colonization. — 
Numerousness  of  the  Polish  Jews  a  Source  of  Congratulation  by 
Native  Historians. — The  Russian  Prince  Sviatopolk  Invites  the 


Contents.  xi 

Jews  into  liis  Dominions. — The  Jews  held  in  High  Esteem  by  the 
People. — They  Serve  in  the  Army. — They  Proselytize  on  an  Ex- 
tensive Scale. — Judaism  Embraced  by  the  Metropolitan  of  the 
Greek  Church. — With  the  Rise  of  the  Power  of  the  Church  the 
Privileges  of  the  Jews  are  Curtailed. — Three  Centuries  of  Ghetto 
Life. — ^Four  Millions  of  Jews  still  Oppressed page  111 

CHAPTER  XI. 

RUSSIAN  PERSECUTIONS:    MISSION  TO  CZAR  NICHOLAS. 

The  Board  of  Deputies  and  the  Russo-Jewish  Question. — Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  Invited  to  St.  Petersburg  by  the  Russian  Government 
to  Confer  with  the  Minister  of  Education  on  the  Condition  of  the 
Jews. — Policy  of  the  Czar  Nicholas  towards  the  Jews.  —The  Per- 
secuting Ukase  of  1843. — Jewish  Appeals  to  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore.— Temporary  Suspension  of  the  Ukase. — David  Urquhart  on 
Russian  Persecutions. — Reissue  of  the  Ukase.— Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore Appeals  to  Lord  Aberdeen  to  Intercede  with  the  Czar. — The 
Ukase  is  again  Suspended. — Promulgated  Once  More  in  1845. — 
A  Deputation  of  Russian  Jews  Arrives  in  England. — Diplomatic 
Representations  to  the  Russian  Government  are  InefEectual. — Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  Deputed  to  proceed  to  St.  Petersburg. — Dangers 
of  the  Journey. — Flattering  Reception  in  the  Russian  Capital. — 
The  Ukase  suspended  for  a  Third  Time. — Interview  with  the  Czar. 
— Sir  Moses  proceeds  on  a  Tour  of  the  Western  Provinces. — Ad- 
ventures on  the  Journey. — Willingness  of  the  Jews  to  follow 
his  Advice. — Triumphant  Progress  through  Jewish  Russia. — Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  and  Prince  Paskievitch. — Revocation  of  the 
Ukase.— Return  to  England. — Enthusiasm  of  the  English  Jews. — 
Royal  Appreciation  of  the  Mission. — A  Baronetcy  conferred  on 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore 133 

CHAPTER  XII. 

A    BUSY    DECADE. 

Resumption  of  the  Emancipation  Struggle. — Mr.  David  Salomons 
and  the  Court  of  Aldermen. — Passing  of  the  Municipal  Corpora- 
tions Bill. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  the  Duke  of  Cambridge. — 
Accession  to  Power  of  Lord  John  Russell. — Baron  Lionel  de 
Rothschild  is  Returned  to  Parliament. — Prevented  from  Taking 
his  Seat. — The  Premier  Proposes  to  Abolish  Jewish  Disabilities. 
— The  Bill  is  Passed  by  the  Commons  but  Thrown  out  by  the 
Lords. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  Organizes  an  Agitation  iu  Favor 


xu 


Contents. 


of  the  Bill.— Second  Defeat  of  the  Bill.— The  End  of  the  Strug- 
gle.—Who  shall  be  the  First  Jewish  Peer? — Condition  of  the 
Foreign  Jews. — Another  Blood  Accusation  at  Damascus. — Sir 
Moses  Monteflore  proceeds  to  Paris  and  Interviews  M.  Guizot 
and  King  Louis  Philippe. — Satisfactory  Assurances. — The  Jews 
of  TurkeJ^ — Proposed  Readmission  of  the  Jews  to  Spain. — La- 
bors of  Mr.  Guedalla. — Home  Affairs. — Three  Missions  to  Pales- 
tine.— The  "  Judah  Touro"  Legacy. — Useful  Works  in  the  Holy 
Land. — Sir  Moses  Monteflore  and  Said  Pasha. — Conversation 
with  the  Khedive  on  the  Suez  Canal page  137 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  MORTARA  CASE,   ETC. 

Lady  Monteflore's  Health  gives  Cause  for  Anxiety. — A  Winter  in 
Italy. — Sad  Condition  of  the  Italian  Jews.— Return  to  England.— 
The  Mortara  Case. — Abduction  of  a  Jewish  Boy  by  the  Roman 
Inquisition  on  the  Ground  that  he  had  been  Secretly  Baptized. — 
The  Pope  Refuses  to  Surrender  him. — Appeal  to  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
flore.— Excitement  in  Europe. — Another  Attempted  Secret  Bap- 
tism.— The  Pretensions  of  the  Papacy. — Action  of  Christian  Pub- 
lic Bodies  in  England. — Indignation  Meetings. — Consternation 
Among  the  Jews  of  the  Papal  States. — Sir  Moses  Monteflore  In- 
terviews Lord  Malmesbury. — Representations  to  Napoleon  III. — 
The  Powers  Remonstrate  with  the  Papal  Government. — Non  Pos- 
sumus. — Sir  Moses  Monteflore  Proceeds  to  Rome. — Negotiations 
with  Cardinal  Antonelli. — The  Pope  Refuses  to  see  Sir  Moses  or 
to  Surrender  the  Child. — Subsequent  Efforts  unavailing. — The 
Labors  of  1859,  1860,  and  1861. — Miscellaneous  Foreign  Business. 
— The  Morocco  Relief  Fund. — Persecution  of  the  Syrian  Chris- 
tians.— Appeals  of  Sir  Moses  Monteflore  and  M.  Cremieux. — The 
"  Blood  Accusation"  Tablet  at  Damascus 153 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

LADY    MONTEFIORE 

Death  of  Lady  Monteflore.— Her  Early  Years.— Education. — Mar- 
riage.— Participation  in  her  Husband's  Humanitarian  Work. — 
Accompanies  Sir  Moses  on  his  Foreign  Missions. — Diaries  of  the 
Journeys  to  Palestine. — Extracts  from  her  Journals. — Home  Life. 
— Anecdote  Illustrative  of  her  Benevolence. — Communal  Labors. 
— The  Funeral  at  Ramsgate. — Memorial  Foundations. — The 
Tomb  on  the  East  Cliff 167 


Contents.  xiii 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  JOURNEY  TO  MOROCCO. 

Trip  to  Constantinople  to  Obtain  a  Confirmation  of  Firmans  from 
the  new  Sultan. — Return  to  England,  and  Retirement  at  Rams- 
gate. — Appeal  from  Gibraltar  on  Behalf  of  Moorish  Jews. — Arrest 
and  Torture  of  Twelve  Jews  at  Saffi  at  the  Instance  of  the  Span- 
ish Consul. — Execution  of  Two  of  the  Prisoners. — Sir  Moses  Hur- 
ries to  London  and  Prevails  upon  the  Foreign  Secretary  to  Tele- 
graph to  Morocco  requesting  a  Stay  of  Proceedings. — Correspon- 
dence with  Morocco  Discloses  a  Sad  State  of  Affairs  among  the 
Local  Jews. — Sir  Moses  resolves  to  Proceed  to  Morocco. — The 
Journey  to  Madrid. — Inter  view  with  Queen  Isabella. — Friendliness 
of  the  Spanish  Government. — Arrival  at  Tangier. — Release  of  the 
Prisoners. — The  Journey  into  the  Interior. — Arrival  at  Morocco 
City. — Imposing  Reception  by  the  Sultan. — Promulgation  of  an 
Edict  Protecting  Jews  and  Christians. — Second  Interview  with 
the  Sultan. — The  Return  Home. — Audiences  with  Queen  Isabella 
and  Napoleon  HI. — Reception  in  England. — Parliamentary  Tri- 
bute to  Sir  Moses  Monteflore. — Freedom  of  the  City  of  Lon- 
don   PAGE  188 

CHAPTER  XVL 

ANOTHER  BUSY  DECADE. 
Drought  in  the  Holy  Land.— A  new  Relief  Fund.— The  Sixth 
Journey  to  Palestine. — The  Locust  Pest  in  Palestine. — Sir  Moses 
Investigates  the  Condition  of  the  Jerusalem  Jewish  Community. 
— Promotes  Public  Works  in  the  Holy  City. — Holds  an  Inquiry 
respecting  a  Charge  brought  against  the  Safed  Jews  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Macleod. — Suggestions  for  the  Application  of  the  Bal- 
ance of  the  Relief  Fund. — Death  of  Dr.  Hodgkin. — Persecution 
of  Jews  in  Roumania. — Mission  to  Bucharest. — Interviews  with 
Prince  Charles. — The  Prince's  Assurances. — Home  Labors. — A 
Second  Journey  to  Russia. — Reception  at  St.  Petersburg. — Audi- 
ence with  the  Czar  Alexander  II. — Improved  Condition  of  the 
Russian  Jews. — Resignation  of  the  Presidency  of  the  Board  of 
Deputies.— The  Monteflore  Testimonial  Fund 205 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

"forty  days'  sojourn  in  THE  HOLY  LAND." 
The  Seventh  Journey  to  the  Holy  Land. — Diary  of  the  Journey. — 
"Forty  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  Land." — Arrival  at  Venice.— 
Admiral  Drummond  Warns  Sir  Moses  against  Cholera. — Ancient 


xiv  Contents. 

Intercourse  between  the  Jews  of  Venice  and  London. — The  Sab- 
bath at  Sea. — Arrival  at  Port  Said. — Reception  at  Jaffa. — The 
Jews  of  Jaffa. — On  the  Way  to  Jerusalem. — A  Moonlight  Ride 
from  Bab-el-Wad. — Enthusiastic  Welcome  at  Jerusalem. — The 
Work  of  the  Forty  Days. — Georgian  Jews  and  Jewish  Hero- 
ism.— Sir  Moses  Suggests  Sanitary  Improvements  at  Jerusalem. 
— Return  Home. — Scheme  for  the  Amelioration  of  the  Condi- 
tion of  the  Palestinian  Jews. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Jerusa- 
lem     PAGE  223 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Conclusion 237 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Sir  Moses  Montepiorb.    After  a  Photograph. .        Frontispiece 

East  Cliff  Villa.     Ramsgate To  face  page    44 

Sir  Moses  Montefiore.     From  the  Portrait  by 

G.  Richmond,  R.  A To  face  page  130 

In  the  Gothic  Chamber.     East  Cliff  Villa,  Ramsgate. 

(Showing  Portrait  op  Lady  Montefiore.).  .To  face  page  168 


SIR  MOSES  MONTEFIORE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FAMILY   AND    EAELY    LIFE. 

The  Montefiore  Family. — Origin  of  its  Name. — Montefiores  at  Ancona. 
— Settlement  of  the  Family  in  Leglioin. — Closes  Vita  Montefiore  Comes 
to  England. — Commercial  Career. — Jews  in  London  in  ITtJO. — De- 
scendants of  the  Jewish  Hidalgos. — Abraham  Lumbrozo  de  Mattos  Mo- 
catta. — Benjamin  D'Israeli. — Moses  Vita  Montefiore's  Family. — Ad- 
ventures of  Joshua  Montefiore. — Sir  Moses'  Father  Marries  a  Daughter 
of  Abraliam  Mocatta. — Antiquity  of  the  Mocatta  Family. — Mose  Mo- 
cato  a  Literary  Contemporary  of  Spinoza. — Messrs.  Mocatta  &  Gold- 
smid  of  London. — Connection  with  the  Lamegos  and  Disraelis. — 
Joseph  Elias  Montefiore. — His  Family. — Birth  of  Moses  Montefiore. — 
Moses  Montefiore's  Education  and  Apprenticeship. 

One  evening,  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1784,  a 
highly  respectable  Jewish  merchant  of  the  city  of  Lon- 
don announced  to  his  wife,  in  their  cosey  drawing-room 
at  Kennington,  that  he  purposed  paying  a  visit  to  Italy 
at  an  early  date,  to  buy  some  advantageous  parcels  of 
straw  bonnets,  to  which  his  correspondents  had  drawn 
his  attention.  In  those  days,  wlien  not  merely  the  bor- 
ing of  the  Mont  Cenis,  but  railways  themselves,  were 
undreamed  of,  such  a  journey  was  no  light  matter.  The 
wife,  however,  was  young  and  adventurous,  and  she  gave 
her  consent  to  the  proposed  enterprise  on  one  condition : 
that  she  was  not  left  behind.  The  husband  prudently 
declined  to  contest  his  partner's  whim  ;  the  conjugal 

1 


2  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

bargain  was  struck  ;  the  company  of  the  lady's  brother 
was  invited,  and  the  journey  was  undertaken.  Not  the 
least  important  incident  in  this  commercial  expedition 
occurred  at  Leghorn,  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1784.  The  lady  in  question  gave  birth  to  a  boy, 
whose  name  was  registered  in  the  archives  of  the  local 
synagogue  as  Moses  Haim  Montefiore.  The  travellers 
were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Elias  Montefiore,  of  London, 
and  Mrs.  Montefiore's  brothei',  Moses  Mocatta,  likewise 
of  London  ;  the  nouveaib-ne  was  the  subject  of  this  book. 
In  the  Yia  Reale,  opposite  the  new  Leghorn  Synagogue, 
the  house  is  still  pointed  out  in  which  this  event  took 
place,  just  one  hundred  years  ago. 

Little  is  known  of  the  family  history  of  the  Monte- 
fiores  bej'ond  the  four  generations  settled  in  England. 
It  is  generally  assumed  that  they  must  have  come 
originally  from  the  small  town  of  the  same  name  in  the 
Italian  province  of  Ascoli  Piceno.  The  fact  has,  how- 
ever, been  overlooked  that  there  are  two  Montefiores  in 
Italy,  one  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fermo,  and  the  other 
near  Forli.  No  certain  evidence  exists  to  connect  the 
family  with  either  of  these  places,  although,  from  the 
frequent  adoption  by  Jews  of  surnames  from  the  names 
of  the  towns  in  which  they  have  resided,  there  is  a 
strong  probability  that  at  some  period  it  was  domiciled 
in  one  of  the  Montefiores.  At  the  same  time  the  fact 
must  not  be  lost  sight  of  that  names  of  flowers  or  con- 
nected with  flowers  have  always  been  popular  with 
Jews,  and  that  the  name  Montefiore  itself  appears  very 
frequently  among  Jews  in  the  German  equivalent 
Blumberg,  together  with  many  kindred  names,  such  as 
Blumenbach,  Blumenthal,  Rosenberg,  Rosenthal,  Ros- 
enfeld,  Veilchenfeld,  Lilienfeld,  etc. 


Family  and  Early  Life.  3 

Tlie  earliest  record  which  has  been  preserved  of  the 
Monteliore  family  is  neither  engraved  on  stone  nor  in- 
scribed on  parchment.  It  exists  appropriately  enough 
in  the  shape  of  a  silk  i-itual  curtain,  magnilicently  em- 
broidered, and  fringed  with  gold,  which,  on  festive  occa- 
sions, is  suspended  before  the  Ark  in  the  ancient  Jewish 
Synagogue  at  Ancona.  In  the  centre  of  this  curtain  is 
a  Hebrew  inscription  recording  its  gift  to  the  Synagogue 
in  1630  by  Leone  (Judah)  Montefiore,  whose  wife  Ra- 
chel, it  states,  had  embroidered  and  inscribed  it  with  her 
own  hands.  The  Montefiores  appear  to  have  occupied 
a  good  position  as  merchants  at  Ancona,  where,  through- 
out the  middle  ages,  their  co-religionists  enjoyed  the 
reputation  of  a  prosperous  and  industrious  class.  When 
Pius  Y.  expelled  the  Jews  from  the  States  of  the  Church 
he  expressly  excepted  those  of  Ancona,  in  order  not  to 
disturb  the  trade  with  the  East,  which  was  entirely  in 
their  hands.  In  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury Amadio  Montefiore  and  Ismael  Montefiore  appear, 
from  entries  in  the  Synagogue  books,  to  have  been  prom- 
inent members  of  the  Ancona  Jewish  Community. 

At  an  early  period  some  of  the  Ancona  Montefiores 
settled  in  Leghorn.  The  Jews  of  that  city  enjoyed 
even  greater  prosperity  than  their  brethren  in  the  Adri- 
atic port.  Their  commercial  genius  was  an  important 
element  in  the  development  of  commerce  and  industry 
all  over  Italy,  but  in  Leghorn  the  tolerance  of  the  Me- 
dicis  secured  them  the  freest  scope  for  their  activity. 
Menasseh  ben  Israel,  in  his  petition  to  Cromwell  for 
the  readmission  of  the  Jews  to  England,  attributes  the 
rise  of  Leghorn  entirely  to  the  industry  and  "  mer- 
chandising" of  the  Jews  ;  and,  indeed,  their  commercial 
influence  must  have  been  very  great,  when  we  find  a 


4  The  Life  of  ISii'  Moacs  Montefiore. 

writer  relating,  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, that  the  inhabitants  generally,  Jew  and  Gentile, 
observed  the  Jewish  Sabbath  as  a  day  of  rest  from  bus- 
iness. Early  in  the  seventeenth  century  there  were 
Montefiores  in  Leghorn,  who  signed  themselves  "  Monte- 
fiore d'Ancona,"  thus  placing  their  origin  beyond  all 
doubt.  One  of  them,  Isach  Vita  Montefiore,  was  a  mer- 
chant of  standing  about  1690.  He  took  into  his  busi- 
ness his  nephew  Judah,  who  had  come  from  Ancona  to 
seek  his  fortune.  Judah,  in  process  of  time,  married  a 
daughter  of  the  Medinas,  who  presented  him  with  four 
sons,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Moses  Haim  (or  Yita*)  Monte- 
fiore, was  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  grandfather. 

Moses  Yita  Montefiore,  the  elder,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 28th,  1712,  and  married,  on  March  29th,  1752,  Ester 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Massahod  Eacah,  a  Moorish  mer- 
chant of  Leghorn.  The  bride  was  only  seventeen  ;  and, 
according  to  a  portrait  of  her,  still  extant,  was  of  re- 
markable beauty.  Moses  Montefiore  did  not  prosper  at 
Leghorn ;  and  six  j-ears  after  his  marriage  he  resolved 
to  emigrate  to  England,  where  several  of  his  mother's 
relatives  had  made  large  fortunes,  notably  the  wealthy 
Sir  Solomon  Medina,  who  financed  Marlborough's  cam- 
paigns, and  was  the  Rothschild  of  the  reign  of  Queen 
Anne.  Accompanied  by  his  youngest  brother  Joseph 
— who  stayed,  however,  but  a  short  time — Moses  Monte- 
fiore landed  in  England  in  1758,  and  immediately  estab- 
lished hiuiself  as  a  merchant,  trading  with  Italy.  He 
lived  and  had  his  offices  and  warehouses  at  Nos.  13  and 
15  Philpot  Lane,  in  the  city  of  London  ;  and,  according 
to  his  son  Joshua,  who  has  recorded  the  fact  in  his  Bi- 

*"Haim"  is  a  common  Hebrew  name,  signifying  "  Life,"  or,  in  Ital- 
ian, "Vita."     "  Ilyam  "  and  "  Hymau  "  are  forms  of  the  same  name. 


Family  and  Early  Life.  5 

ble,  was  "  of  higli  and  respectable  standing  in  society, 
and  a  merchant  of  eminence."  After  twenty  years  of 
successful  trading,  he  took  a  house  in  Mutton  Lane, 
Hackney,  then  a  rural  district,  much  affected  by  wealthy 
Jews.  Here  dwelt  at  their  ease  such  notable  Israelites 
as  Ephraim  Aguilar,  the  father  of  Grace  Aguilar,  and  a 
scion  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Portu- 
guese Jewish  families,  jiis  kinsman,  the  generous  Abra- 
ham Lopez  Pereira,  who  left  a  substantial  sum  to  the 
churchwardens  of  Hackney  to  supply  the  local  poor 
with  coals  in  the  winter  season,  in  addition  to  noble 
legacies  to  the  Synagogue,  and  David  Alves  Rebello,  the 
gifted  numismatist  and  writer  on  natural  history.  Close 
by,  in  Bethnal  Green,  resided  many  more  descendants 
of  the  Jewish  Hidalgos,  among  them  Abraham  Lura- 
brozo  de  Mattos  Mocatta,  an  opulent  Jewish  broker, 
whose  daughter  Rachel  became  the  wife  of  Montefiore's 
son  Joseph,  and  mother  of  Sir  Moses.  Abraham  Mo- 
catta was  one  of  the  patriotic  band  of  London  mer- 
chants who,  in  March,  1774,  when  the  rumors  of  a 
French  invasion  in  favor  of  the  young  Pretender  were 
prevalent,  waited  on  George  II.  with  an  address,  ex- 
pressing their  "resentment  and  indignation  at  so  rash 
an  attempt,"  and  declaring  their  resolution  "at  this 
critical  conjuncture  to  exert  our  utmost  endeavors  for 
the  support  of  public  credit ;  and  at  all  times  to  hazard 
our  lives  and  fortunes  in  defence  of  your  Majesty's  sa- 
cred person  and  government,  and  of  the  security  of  the 
Protestant  succession  in  your  family."  Among  the  Ital- 
ian merchants  with  whom  the  elder  Montefiore  com- 
peted in  business  was  one  Benjamin  D'Israeli,  of  5 
Great  St.  Helen's,  the  father  of  Isaac  D'Israeli,  author 
of  "  Curiosities  of  Literature,"  and  grandfather  of  the 


6  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefore. 

Earl  of  Beacon sfi eld,  sometime  Prime  Minister  of  Eng- 
land. Among  tlie  Plebrews  he  must  have  frequently 
met  in  the  ancient  Spanish  and  Portuguese  Synagogue 
in  Bevis  Marks  were  the  two  Bernals,  Abraham  liicar- 
do,  the  father  of  the  economist,  Ephraim,  Baron  d'Agui- 
lar,  ancestor  of  General  d'Aguilar,  and  father-in-law  of 
Admiral  Keith  Steward,  Mordecai  Rodrigues  Lopez, 
grandfather  of  the  present  Sir  Massey  Lopes,  Naphtali 
Basevi,  the  father-in-law  of  Isaac  D'Israeli,  and  the  scions 
of  many  other  ancient  Hebrew  families,  such  as  the 
Abrabanels,  Mendez  da  Costas,  Yilla-Reals,  Alvarez, 
Lindos,  Lousadas,  Francos,  Salvadors,  Samudas,  Nunes, 
Osorios,  Seixas,  Fonsecas,  Supinos,  da  Silvas,  Garcias, 
de  Castros,  and  Ximenes. 

Moses  Montefiore  not  only  prospered,  he  completed 
the  Mosaic  blessing  by  multiplying  as  well.  His  wife 
bore  him  seventeen  children,  nine  sons  and  eight  daugh- 
ters. Several  of  the  daughters  married  well.  Of  the 
sons  the  first  three  were  born  at  Leghorn,  and  the  el- 
dest, Judah,  remained  there  in  the  care  of  his  grandpar- 
ents ;  the  second,  David,  became  a  tobacco  merchant, 
and  carried  on  business  in  the  Borough  ;  the  third, 
Samuel,  married  Mr.  Abraham  Mocatta's  daughter  Grace, 
entered  the  export  business,  and  settled  in  Mansell  Street, 
Goodman's  Fields ;  the  fourth,  Joseph  Elias,  was  the  fa- 
ther of  Sir  Moses ;  the  fifth,  Abraham,  went  abroad ;  the 
sixth,  Joshua,  became  a  lawyer  and  a  soldier;  the  sev- 
enth and  eighth,  Eliezer  (who  married  a  granddaughter 
of  Simon  Barrow,  of  Amsterdam),  and  Jacob,  became 
partners,  established  themselves  as  general  merchants  in 
Camomile  Street,  City,  and  subsequently  went  to  the 
West  Indies  ;  a  ninth  son,  Lazarus,  died  in  infancy. 

The  most  remarkable  of  all  Moses  Montefiore's  chil- 


Family  and  Early  Life.  7 

dren  was  his  sixth  son,  Joshua.  Possessed  of  a  well- 
stored  mind  and  splendid  abilities,  he  might  have  made 
an  important  name  for  himself  had  it  not  been  for  his 
roving  disposition.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  com- 
menced to  study  law  with  James  Cross,  and,  in  the 
same  year  that  his  nephew.  Sir  Moses  JMontefiore,  was 
born,  he  was  admitted  an  attorney-at-law  and  solicitor 
in  Chancery  by  Sir  William  Scott,  Judge  of  the  Ad- 
miralty Court,  and  ISTotary  Public  by  the  Court  of  Fac- 
ulties of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  While  work- 
ing at  his  profession  he  obtained  considerable  success 
as  an  author.  His  "  Commercial  and  Notarial  Prece- 
dents "  quickly  ran  through  three  editions  in  London 
and  two  in  the  United  States.  His  "  Commercial  Dic- 
tionary," which  was  dedicated  by  permission  to  Lord 
Ellenborough,  was  long  regarded  as  the  standard  work 
of  its  kind.  He  also  wrote  the  "  Trader's  Compendium," 
the  "  United  States  Trader's  Compendium,"  an  essay  on 
the  "  Law  of  Copyright,"  and  "  Law  and  Treatise  on 
Book-keeping."  Joshua  Montefiore  was,  however,  not 
fitted  for  a  stay-at-home  life,  and  he  seized  the  first  op- 
portunity of  exchanging  the  pen  for  a  sterner  weapon. 
Towards  the  end  of  1791  a  colonizing  mania  seized  the 
citizens  of  London.  Several  merchants  formed  them- 
selves into  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  set- 
tlements on  or  near  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  an  expedi- 
tion, consisting  of  275  adventurers,  was  fitted  out  to  take 
possession  of  the  Island  of  Bulama.  One  of  the  di- 
r  actors  was  Moses  Ximenes,  afterwards  Sir  Maurice 
Ximenes,  a  prominent  and  wealthy  Israelite,  and  among 
the  adventurers  was  Joshua  Montefiore,  who  gave  up 
his  legal  practice  to  take  part  in  an  enterprise  which 
accorded  so  well  with  his  venturesome  tastes. 


8  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Tlie  expedition  turned  out  disastrously,  and  Joshua 
Montefiore  was  one  of  the  few  who  survived  its  many 
trials  and  reverses.  On  his  return  home  he  wrote  an 
account  of  his  adventures.  From  this  work  it  appears 
that,  having  a  taste  for  soldiering,  the  military  arrange- 
ments of  the  expedition  were  from  the  outset  confided 
to  him.  It  was  he  who  hoisted  the  British  flag  on 
landing  at  Bulama,  and  he,  too,  organized  the  whole 
offensive  and  defensive  economy  of  the  colony.  Soon 
after  the  adventurers  were  settled,  we  find  him  in  com- 
mand of  one  of  the  vessels  belonging  to  the  expedition, 
keeping  a  lookout  for  suspicious  craft,  and  chasing  and 
boarding  Portuguese  slavers.  One  day  the  colony  was 
surprised  by  a  war-canoe  full  of  armed  "  Indians,"  and 
it  devolved  upon  him  to  pacify  the  chiefs  by  a  diplo- 
matic palaver.  The  "Indians"  retired,  and  Joshua 
counselled  his  fellow-colonists,  on  the  next  appearance 
of  the  natives,  to  make  overtures  to  them  for  the  acqui- 
sition of  the  island  by  purchase,  at  the  same  time  point- 
ing out  the  injustice  of  holding  by  force  land  which  did 
not  rightly  belong  to  them.  His  filibustering  hearers 
stared  amazed  at  this  unexpected  sermon,  and  flatly  re- 
fused to  follow  his  advice.  The  result  was  that,  when 
next  the  "Indians"  landed,  a  severe  conflict  took  place, 
and  the  new  colony  was  wrecked.  Joshua  Montefiore 
then  travelled  into  the  Papel  country,  met  the  Antula 
Indians,  interviewed  a  native  king,  and  dined  with  him 
on  porcupine  and  squirrels.  At  Sierra  Leone  he  visited 
another  dusky  potentate,  the  King  of  Nambana,  whom 
he  describes  as  "a  very  respectable  old  gentleman." 

On  his  return  home  he  was  presented  by  Lord  Boston 
to  King  George  III.,  at  his  Majesty's  special  request,  and 
was  offered  knighthood,  which  he  declined.     Finding 


Family  and  Early  Life.  9 

it  difficult  to  settle  down  to  his  old  profession,  he  en- 
tered the  army,  and  was  the  first  Jew  to  hold  a  milita- 
ry commission  in  England.  He  served  in  various  parts 
of  the  world,  and  in  1809,  as  an  officer  in  the  York 
Light  Infantry,  was  at  the  taking  of  Martinique  and 
Guadaloupe.  On  his  retirement  he  proceeded  to  the 
United  States,  where  he  practised  as  a  lawyer,  and  pub- 
lished a  weekly  political  journal,  entitled  Men  and 
Measures,  which  was  subventioned  by  the  British  Gov- 
ernment. In  his  seventy-third  year  he  married  a  sec- 
ond time,  and  died  in  1843,  aged  eighty-one,  leaving 
issue  by  his  second  marriage,  seven  children,  the  young- 
est of  whom  was  only  six  weeks  old.  Joshua  Monte- 
fiore  had  cast  his  lot  among  strangers,  but  on  his  death- 
bed he  called  his  eldest  daughter  to  his  side,  and,  asking 
her  for  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  wrote  out  from  memory 
an  English  translation  of  the  Hebrew  burial  service, 
which  he  enjoined  her  to  read  aloud  at  his  funeral. 
He  also  desired  to  be  buried  in  his  garden  at  St.  Albans, 
Vermont,  and  his  wish  was  complied  with.  One  of  his 
sons,  Mr.  Joseph  Montefiore,  has  achieved  quite  a  rep- 
utation as  a  lawyer  and  journalist,  and  is  now  editor  of 
the  Baldwin  Bulletin,  Wisconsin.  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore still  retains  a  vivid  recollection  of  his  dashing 
"  Uncle  Josh,"  whose  laced  red  coat  and  pigtail,  and 
cocked  hat  and  sword,  together  with  his  fund  of  tre- 
mendous anecdote,  rendered  him  a  huge  favorite  with 
his  nephews. 

On  his  mother's  side,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  lineage 
is  of  undoubted  antiquity.  "Mocatta"  is  an  Arabic 
name,  which  carries  back  the  family  bearing  it  to,  at 
least,  the  period  of  the  Moorish  dominion  in  Spain. 
The  Mocattas  claim  for  themselves,  however,  a  more 

1* 


10  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

remote  antiquity,  alleging  that,  as  an  Eastern  Jewish 
family,  they  entered  the  Peninsula  in  the  wake  of  the 
conquering  armies  of  Tarik  and  Musa,  in  the  eighth 
century.  After  the  expulsions  by  Ferdinand  and  Isa- 
bella part  of  the  family  settled  in  Venice,  traded,  flour- 
ished, became  impoverished,  and  died  out  about  a  cen- 
tury ago,  leaving  their  tombs  on  the  Lido,  the  long 
island  extending  like  a  breakwater  in  front  of  the  Yene- 
tian  lagoon,  where  the  Jewish  cemetery  was  situated. 
The  branch  from  which  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  is  de- 
scended emigrated  to  Holland,  and  traded  there.  Some 
members  presided  from  time  to  time  over  the  Amster- 
dam Congregation.  Others,  with  literary  tastes,  made 
graceful  contributions  to  the  poetical  literature  of  the 
Hispano-Jewish  exiles.  A  Mose  Mocato  was  a  literary 
contemporary  of  Spinoza,  and  one  of  a  band  of  twenty- 
one  young  Jewish  poets  who  applauded  in  Hebrew, 
Spanish,  and  Latin  verse  the  publication  of  Joseph 
Penso's  Hebrew  dramas.  The  literary  traditions  of  the 
family  have  in  recent  years  been  worthily  sustained  by 
Mr.  Frederic  D.  Mocatta,  with  an  excellent  sketch  of 
the  history  of  the  Jews  of  Spain  and  Portugal. 

When,  in  1688,  William  of  Orauge  entered  England, 
a  large  number  of  Dutch  Jews  took  up  their  abode  in 
that  country.  Among  them  were  the  Mocattas,  or  Lum- 
brozo  de  Mattos  Mocattas,  as  they  were  called.  In  1694 
Mr.  Isaac  de  Mocatta  established  in  Mansell  Street  the 
firm  which,  about  three  quarters  of  a  century  later,  be- 
came Mocatta  (fe  Keyser,  and  in  1783,  when  Mr.  Asher 
Goldsmid  joined  it,  assumed  the  style,  which  it  still  pre- 
serves, of  Mocatta  &  Goldsmid,  bullion  brokers  to  the 
Bank  of  England  and  the  East  India  Company.  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore's  maternal  grandfather,  Abraham 
Lumbrozo  de  Mattos  Mocatta.  married,  about  1760,  the 


Family  and  Early  Life.  11 

heiress  of  the  Lamegos,  another  ancient  and  distin- 
guished family,  one  of  the  progenitors  of  which  was 
Joseph  Zapateiro  de  Lamego,  a  Jewish  navigator  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  who  first  brought  the  intelligence 
to  Europe  that  there  was  a  South  Cape  of  Africa,  which 
could  be  doubled.  Moses  Mocatta,  one  of  the  sons  of 
Mr.  Abraham  Mocatta — the  names  Lumbrozo  de  Mat- 
tes were  dropped  by  royal  license  in  1780 — was  the 
author  of  several  works,  and  translator  of  the  celebrated 
controversial  essay  of  Isaac  Troki,  "  Chizuk  Emunah." 
He  was  a  fellow-traveller  of  his  sister  and  brother-in-law 
in  1784,  when  his  nephew,  Moses  Montefiore,  was  born, 
at  Leghorn.  It  may  be  mentioned  that,  through  the  Mo- 
cattas,  a  slight  relationship  is  established  between  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  and  the  late  Earl  of  Beaconsfield. 
The  mother  of  the  earl,  nee  Sarah  Basevi,  was  sister-in- 
law  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  uncle,  Moses  Mocatta, 
and  also  to  Ephraim  Lindo,  whose  brother,  David  Abar- 
banel  Lindo,  was  Sir  Moses'  uncle,  by  marriage  with 
Abraham  Mocatta's  daughter  Sarah.  It  was  David 
Abarbanel  Lindo  who  performed  on  Lord  Beacons- 
field  the  ceremony  of  initiation  into  the  Covenant 
of  Abraham. 

Joseph  Elias  Montefiore,  the  father  of  Sir  Moses,  was 
born  in  London,  on  the  15th  of  October,  1759,  soon  after 
his  parents  arrived  in  England.  He  passed  his  early 
years  in  his  father's  warehouses  in  Philpot  Lane,  and 
eventually  established  himself  on  his  own  account  in 
Lime  Street,  Fenchurch  Street.  Here  he  carried  on  a 
considerable  business  in  Italian  goods,  notably  Leghorn 
straw  bonnets  and  Carrara  marbles.  On  his  marriage,  in 
1783,  he  took  a  house  at  No.  3  Ivennington  Place,  Yaux- 
hall,  where,  in  addition  to  his  eldest  son,  seven  children 
were  born  to  him — two  sons,  Abraham  and  Horatio,  and 


12  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

five  daughters,  Sarah,  Esther,  Abigail,  Eebecca,  and  Jus- 
tina.  All  the  sons  did  well  in  life.  Abraham,  whose 
commercial  career  was  identified  with  that  of  his  elder 
brother,  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  George  Hall,  of  the  London  Stock  Exchange, 
he  had  one  daughter,  Marj,  who  married  Mr.  Benjamin 
Mocatta,  and  by  his  second  wife,  Henrietta  Rothschild, 
he  had  two  sons  (Joseph  Meyer,  of  Worth  Park,  and 
Nathaniel  Meyer,  of  Cold  East),  and  two  daughters, 
Charlotte  and  Louisa,  the  latter  of  whom  is  the  present 
Lady  Anthony  de  Rothschild.  Horatio  became  a  suc- 
cessful London  merchant.  He  married  Sarah,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  Mocatta,  by  whom  he  had  a  family  of  six 
sons  and  six  daughters.  His  youngest  sou  is  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Emanuel  Montefiore,  late  of  Bombay.  Of  the 
daughters  of  Joseph  Montefiore,  the  eldest,  Sarah,  mar- 
ried, first,  Mr.  Solomon  Sebag,  of  London,  and  secondly, 
Mr.  Moses  Asher  Goldsmid,  youngest  brother  of  Sir 
Isaac  Lyon  Goldsmid  ;  the  second,  Esther,  met  her 
death  by  an  accident  in  her  fifteenth  year;  the  third, 
Abigail,  became  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Gompertz,  a 
well-known  mathematician  and  actuary  of  the  Alliance 
Insurance  Company ;  the  fourth,  Rebecca,  married  Mr. 
Joseph  Solomon,  of  London ;  and  the  youngest,  Justi- 
na,  found  a  husband  in  the  same  family  whence  her 
elder  brother  took  his  wife.  She  married  Mr.  Benjamin 
Cohen,  of  Richmond,  Surrey,  who  was  for  many  years 
connected  with  the  elder  Rothschild.  One  of  their 
sons  is  Mr.  Arthur  Cohen,  Q.C.,  M.P. 

All  the  sons  of  Mr.  Joseph  Montefiore  received  an 
elementary  education  at  a  local  school,  which  they  left 
early  for  the  more  serious  business  of  life.  Mr.  Moses 
Mocatta,  who  lived  in  Kennington  Place,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  Montefiores,  superintended  their  studies 


Commercial  Career.  13 

in  Hebrew  and  religion,  and  it  was  from  him  that  Mo- 
ses Montefiore  derived  that  large-liearted  interest  in  the 
traditions  and  fortunes  of  his  race  which  has  enabled 
him  to  exert  so  potent  an  influence  on  their  more  re- 
cent history.  On  leaving  school,  each  of  the  sons  was 
tanght  a  trade.  Abraham  was  apprenticed  to  Mr.  Flow- 
er, tlie  eminent  silk  merchant,  of  "Watling  Street.  It  is 
a  curions  circumstance  that  Mr.  Flower's  grandson,  Mr. 
Cyril  Flower,  afterwards  became  the  husband  of  one  of 
Abraham  Montefiore's  granddaughters.  Moses  entered 
a  provision  house.  One  of  his  father's  neighbors  in 
Kennington  Place  was  a  Mr.  Robert  Johnson,  head  of 
the  firm  of  Johnson,  McCnlloch,  Sons,  &  Co.,  whole- 
sale tea  merchants  and  grocers,  of  19  Eastcheap.  An 
intimacy  sprang  up  between  the  two  families,  and 
young  Moses  Montefiore  became  articled  to  the  East- 
cheap  house.  Here,  in  the  closing  years  of  the  last 
century,  he  gained  his  first  commercial  experience. 


CHAPTER   II. 

COMMERCIAL    CAEEEK. 


Moses  Montefiore  Enters  the  Stock  Exchange. — Jewish  Brokers. — Emi- 
nent Jews  in  the  City. — Abraham  Montefiore  Joins  iiis  Brotiier. — Na- 
than Maier  Rothschild  Establishes  Himself  in  London. — iNIontefiore's 
Marriage. — Connection  of  the  Montefiores  with  the  Rothschilds. — First 
News  of  Waterloo.  —  Transactions  of  the  New  Court  Financiers. — 
Death  of  Abraham  Montefiore. — Retirement,  of  Moses  Montefiore. — 
The  Alliance  Insurance  Company. — Story  of  its  Establishment. — The 
Imperial  Continental  Gas  Association. — The  Slave  Loan. — Park  Lane 
Sixty  Years  ago. 

Young  Montefiore  did  not  continue  long  in  the  trade 
for  which  his  father  had  destined  him.     More  rapid 


14  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

fortunes  were  to  be  made  in  the  money  business,  in 
which  at  tliat  period  the  house  founded  by  his  moth- 
er's family,  Messrs.  Mocatta  &  Goldsmid,  "  Brokers  in 
Bullion,  Specie,  Diamonds,  and  Pearls,  Grigsby's  Cof- 
fee House,  near  Bank,"  occupied  a  prominent  position. 
Of  a  handsome  presence,  over  six  feet  in  height,  engag- 
ing in  his  manners,  and  a  Captain  in  the  Surrey  Militia, 
Montefiore  was  very  much  liked  by  his  i-ich  relatives, 
and  was  a  frequent  guest  at  the  palatial  residences  of 
the  Goldsmids  at  Morden  and  Roehampton.  At  Asher 
Goldsmid's  house,  on  one  occasion,  he  met  Lord  Nelson 
at  dinner,  and  chanted  the  lengthy  Grace  after  meals  of 
the  Hebrew  liturgy  in  his  presence.  His  intimacy  with 
Asher  Goldsmid's  gifted  son  seems  to  have  strongly  in- 
fluenced his  own  character.  Isaac  Lyon  Goldsmid  was 
an  earnest  philanthropist,  as  well  as  an  astute  financier. 
The  friend  subsequently  of  Brougham,  James  Mill, 
Mrs,  Fry,  and  Robert  Owen,  a  busy  advocate  of  Kegro 
Emancipation,  the  restriction  of  capital  punishment, 
and  the  cause  of  popular  education,  he  was  eminently 
fitted  to  be  the  companion  of  one  who  was  destined 
to  rank  conspicuously  among  the  philanthropists  of  the 
age. 

Moses  Montefiore  having  testified  a  desire  to  adopt 
a  Stock  Exchange  career,  his  uncles  purchased  for  him 
for  £1200  the  right  to  practise  as  one  of  the  twelve 
Jewish  brokers  licensed  by  the  City.  The  fact  that 
the  number  of  Jewish  brokers  was  then  limited  is  an 
interestins:  indication  of  the  restrictions  under  which 
the  Jews  of  England  lived  iji  Moses  Montefiore's  youth. 
Sometimes  even  these  restrictions  were  not  considered 
sufficiently  narrow  by  enemies  of  the  Jews.  On  one 
occasion  when  a  Jew  applied  to  be  admitted  as  broker 


CoTTiTnercial  Career.  15 

in  the  City  of  London,  a  petition  was  presented  by  the 
Christian  brokers,  prapng  for  its  rejection.  The  terms 
of  the  petition  are  extremely  curious.  It  was  entitled, 
"Eeasons  offered  humbly  to  the  Lord  Mayor  and 
Court  of  Alderman  against  a  Jew  (who  is  a  known 
enemy  to  the  Christian  religion),  his  being  admitted  a 
broker."  The  reasons  alleged  were  six  in  number,  and 
recited  in  substance  that  the  Jews  had  by  statute  no 
right  to  immunities  and  privileges  of  any  kind,  and  that 
every  branch  of  trade  would  be  injm'ed  by  admitting 
them  as  brokers.  The  statement  of  fact  contained  in 
these  reasons  cannot  of  course  be  disputed;  the  pro- 
phecy, however,  has  happily  failed  to  be  realized,  even 
with  the  abolition  of  the  restriction  by  which  the  num- 
ber of  Jewish  brokers  was  limited.* 

On  the  Stock  Exchange  Moses  Montefiore's  amiable 
disposition  rendered  him  very  popular.  His  enterprise, 
industry,  and  steadiness,  too,  obtained  for  him  the  con- 
fidence of  many  clients.  "  Always  remember  that  it  is 
better  to  earn  a  pound,  than  toss  for  two,"  said  an  old 
Scotch  friend,  to  whom  he  applied  for  advice  when 
about  to  commence  business  on  his  own  account ;  and 
this  counsel  would  always  occur  to  him  when  he  felt 
tempted  to  plunge  into  speculation.  His  enterprise  is 
illustrated  by  his  issuing  a  weekly  price-list  of  securities 


*  "  The  last  recorded  instance  of  a  Jew  purchasing  the  right  to 
act  as  broker  took  place  in  1826,  when  Mr.  J.  B.  Monteflore  bought 
for  1500  guineas  from  Sir  William  Magnay,  the  then  Lord  Maj'or, 
the  medal  which  formed  the  title-deed  of  the  privilege,  and  which 
had  lapsed  by  the  death  of  the  previous  owner.  Two  years  after 
the  absurd  limitation  was  removed." — Piciotto,  "Sketches  of 
Anglo-Jewish  History,"  p.  386. 


16  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

at  a  time  when  sucli  publications  were  almost  unknown. 
At  first  his  office  was  at  Grigsby's  Coffee  House,  where 
he  basked  in  the  prestige  of  his  maternal  uncle's  patron- 
age ;  but  later  on  he  established  himself  successively  at 
]^o.  1  Birchin  Lane,  and  3  Bartholomew  Lane.  In 
course  of  time  he  was  joined  by  his  brother,  Abraham 
Montefiore,  who  had  realized  a  small  fortune  in  the  silk 
trade,  but  was  ambitious  to  turn  over  his  money  more 
rapidly  than  was  possible  in  industrial  undertakings. 
The  firm  of  Montefiore  Bros,  carried  on  business  in 
Shorter's  Court,  Throgmorton  Street. 

The  year  in  which  Moses  Montefiore  was  admitted 
into  the  Stock  Exchange  also  witnessed  the  entry  into 
the  same  institution  of  David  Eicardo,  subsequently 
member  of  Parliament  for  Portarlington,  and  the  ablest 
economist  of  his  day.  David  Eicardo  had  seceded  from 
Judaism,  and  left  the  parental  roof  as  a  mere  youth ; 
and  Christian  strangers  had  helped  him  in  his  studies 
and  his  financial  career.  His  father,  to  whom  his 
apostasy  was  the  source  of  an  abiding  sorrow,  still  carried 
on  business  as  a  merchant  at  Garraway's  Coffee  House. 
The  Eothschilds  of  the  time  were  Messrs  Benjamin  and 
Abraham  Goldsmid,  of  6  Capel  Court,  whose  town 
houses  were  in  Finsbury  Square  and  Spital  Square,  and 
who  possessed  princely  estates  at  Morden  and  Eoe- 
hampton.  At  this  period  Lord  Beaconsfield's  maternal 
and  paternal  grandfathers  were  still  famihar  figures  in 
the  City.  N^aphtaH  Basevi,  or,  as  he  was  called  in  the 
Synagogue,  Naphtah  de  Solomon  Bathsheba,  was  a 
merchant  in  Wormwood  Street,  Broad  Street ;  Benja- 
min D'Israeli  had  retired  from  the  firm  of  D'Israeli  & 
Parkins,  of  which  he  had  been  the  head,  and  was  living 
in  Charles  Street,  Stoke  Newington,  but  he  still  occa- 


Commepcial  Ca/reer.  17 

sionally  looked  in  to  the  City,  and  transacted  business 
at  Tom's  Coffee  House,  Comhill. 

With  all  their  industry  and  ability  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  Montefiores  would  have  been  as  successful 
as  they  eventually  were,  had  it  not  been  for  their  con- 
nection with  the  boldest  speculator  and  shrewdest 
financier  of  the  time,  Nathan  Maier  Rothschild.  In 
1812,  when  this  connection  commenced,  Eothschild  was 
only  thirty-five  years  old,  but  he  had  already  founded, 
on  a  secure  basis,  the  English  branch  of  the  world- 
famed  house  of  which  he  was  destined  to  become  the 
leading  spirit.  In  his  twentieth  year,  such  was  his 
father's  confidence  in  him,  that  he  had  despatched  him 
to  Manchester  with  £20,000  in  his  pocket  to  start  in 
business  as  a  manufacturer  of  cotton  goods,  and  within 
five  years  he  had  increased  this  capital  tenfold.  In  1802 
his  father's  financial  transactions  with  England  assumed 
such  large  proportions  that  he  found  it  necessary  to 
establish  a  branch  of  his  banking  business  in  London. 
He  called  upon  Nathan  to  undertake  its  organization 
and  management.  The  well-known  probity  of  the 
elder  Eothschild  had  made  him  the  depositary  of  the 
fortunes  of  many  of  the  French  nobihty,  who,  fleeing 
from  the  terrors  and  conquering  armies  of  the  Republic, 
knew  not  where  to  lodge  their  money  for  safety.  Roths- 
child took  it  into  his  keeping,  and  in  due  time  trans- 
mitted it  to  his  son  in  London,  who  turned  it  to  good 
account.  Unacquainted  with  the  sources  of  Nathan 
Rothschild's  capital,  the  steady-going  city  folk  of  those 
days  looked  askance  at  the  large  transactions  of  the  new 
financier ;  and  when,  in  1806,  he  asked  the  wealthy 
Levi  Barent  Cohen,  of  Angel  Court,  Throgmorton 
Street,  for  his  daughter,  it  was  not  unnaturally  thought 


18  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

that  the  speculating  stranger  was  more  attracted  by  the 
young  lady's  dowry  of  £10,000  than  by  her  personal 
charms.  Mr.  Cohen  himself  hesitated  at  first  to  give 
his  consent  to  the  marriage,  whereupon,  it  is  said,  the 
future  millionaire  attempted  to  calm  his  intended 
father-in-law's  fears  by  the  characteristic  remark,  "  If, 
instead  of  giving  me  one  of  your  daughters,  you  could 
give  me  all,  it  would  be  the  best  stroke  of  business  you 
had  ever  done." 

The  year  in  which  the  marriage  took  place  (1806) 
was  a  fortunate  one  for  the  Kothschilds.  It  was  the 
year  which  saw  the  power  of  Prussia  broken  on  the  field 
of  Jena.  Immediately  after  the  battle,  ISTapoleon,  with 
his  usual  high-handedness,  expelled  the  Elector  William 
I.  of  Hesse-Cassel  from  his  dominions,  although  he  had 
previously  recognized  him  as  one  of  the  neutral  princes. 
Before  his  flight  the  Elector  deposited  large  sums  of 
money  with  Maier  Rothschild,  who  had  for  some  years 
acted  as  his  Court  agent,  and  these  sums — said  to  have 
amounted  to  nearly  £600,000 — the  latter  was  success- 
ful in  transmitting  to  his  son  in  London.  With  this 
accession  of  capital  Nathan  Rothschild  was  enabled  to 
enter  upon  a  large  extension  of  his  financial  operations. 
The  times  were  propitious  to  so  long-headed  a  capitalist. 
The  coalition  against  IS^apoleon  drew  large  sums  of 
gold  from  England,  and  Rothschild  became  the  pay- 
master of  the  allied  forces.  How  sagaciously  he  utilized 
every  opportunity  for  turning  over  his  capital  may  be 
judged  from  the  circumstance  that  he  once  bought  bills 
of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  at  a  discount,  then  sold  to 
Government  the  gold  wherewith  to  cash  them,  and 
finally  undertook  to  convey  the  money  to  Portugal  to 
pay  the  troops.     It  was  he  who  organized  the  vast  net- 


Commercial  Career.  19 

work  of  agencies  all  over  Europe  which  gave  the  firm 
the  earliest  political  information,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  means  of  turning  it  to  the  most  comprehensive 
account.  In  the  infancy  of  steam  he  had  special  steam- 
boats to  bring  his  news  from  Boulogne  to  Dover,  and 
carrier-pigeons  to  flj  with  it  to  London.  The  value  of 
his  Continental  agencies  was  recognized  in  1809  by  the 
British  Government,  who,  during  that  year,  remitted 
through  his  house  all  the  sums  despatched  to  the  Con- 
tinent to  keep  up  the  struggle  with  !Napoleon.  When, 
in  1810,  the  money-market  was  left  without  an  acknowl- 
edged head,  owing  to  the  death  of  Abraham  Goldsmid, 
Rothschild  became,  by  general  consent,  the  arbiter  of 
the  Stock  Exchange. 

The  connection  of  the  Montefiores  with  this  remark- 
able man  was  brought  about  in  1812,  when  Moses 
Montefiore  married  Judith  Cohen,  a  daughter  of  Levi 
Barent  Cohen,  and  sister-in-law  of  the  future  millionaii'e. 
Later  on  Abraham  Montefiore  espoused  as  his  second 
wife  Rothschild's  sister  Henrietta,  and  their  daughter 
Louisa  married  in  1840  Rothschild's  second  son,  An- 
thony. 

Moses  Montefiore  took  a  house  in  IlTew  Court,  St. 
Swithin's  Lane,  adjoining  the  one  occupied  by  his 
brother-in-law.  A  warm  friendship  sprimg  up  between 
the  two  men,  and  Montefiore  became  intimately  as- 
sociated with  Rothschild  in  all  his  enterprises.  His 
business  career  from  this  time  is  Inseparable  from  that 
of  his  brother-in-law,  for  whom  he  acted  as  stockbroker. 
In  1813  the  transactions  of  the  firm  in  Kew  Court 
entered  on  a  phase  of  unparalleled  magnitude.  The 
allies  arrayed  an  army  of  nearly  a  milhon  of  men  against 
Napoleon,  and  Rothschild  strained  every  nerve  to  keep 


20  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Lord  Castlereagli  well  supplied  with  funds.  In  that 
year  he  made  his  first  piibhc  appearance  as  an  EngUsh 
loan  contractor,  bringing  out  a  loan  for  £12,000,000. 

The  time  of  the  Kapoleonic  wars  afforded  a  host  of 
opportunities  for  the  acquisition  of  wealth;  but  what 
were  chances  to  the  majority  of  speculators  were  cer- 
tainties to  the  financiers  of  ]^ew  Court.  Rothschild's 
agents  kept  him  supplied  with  the  latest  intelligence, 
and  in  his  counting-house  more  was  known  of  the 
movements  of  armies  and  of  the  schemes  of  Continental 
statesmen  than  in  Downing  Street  itself.  Both  the 
escape  from  Elba  and  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Water- 
loo were  known  to  him  before  any  other  man  in  Eng- 
land. Sir  Moses  still  relates  to  the  few  visitors  he  is 
allowed  to  receive  how,  at  five  o'clock  one  morning,  he 
was  roused  by  Mr.  Eothschild  with  the  intelligence  that 
Napoleon  had  eluded  the  vigilance  of  the  Enghsh  cruisers 
and  had  landed  at  Cannes.  Hastily  dressing  himself, 
he  received  instructions  what  sales  to  effect  on  the  Ex- 
change, and  then  Mr.  Rothschild  went  to  communicate 
his  information  to  the  Ministry.  A  French  courier  had 
brought  the  news,  too  precious  to  be  intrusted  to  the 
usual  pigeon-post,  and  when,  in  the  evening,  he  was 
given  a  packet  of  despatches  for  the  correspondents 
from  whom  he  had  come,  Mr.  Eothschild  asked  him,  as 
he  filled  a  stirrup-cup,  if  he  knew  what  news  he  had 
brought.  The  man  answered  "  ]S'o."  "  Napoleon  has 
escaped  from  Elba  and  is  now  in  France,"  announced 
Mr.  Rothschild.  For  a  moment  the  man  looked  in- 
credulous. Then  waving  his  glass,  he  shouted  "  Yive 
I'Empereur !"  and  enthusiastically  tossed  off  a  bumper. 
As  the  courier  took  his  leave  Rothschild  turned  to  his 
brother-in-law  and  said  reflectively,  "  If  that  is  the  tem- 


Comm&rcial  Career.  21 

per  of  the  Frencli  I  foresee  we  shall  have  some  trouble 

yet." 

Mr.  Rothschild  was  not  an  ungenerous  employer,  and 
the  little  Frenchman,  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for 
many  valuable  services,  he  subsequently  set  up  in  busi- 
ness in  Calais.  "When  Sir  Moses,  in  after-years,  had 
occasion  to  visit  the  Continent,  he  frequently  visited  the 
ex-courier  and  indulged  in  a  chat  with  him  on  the  stir- 
ring times  in  which  he  had  faithfully  borne  his  part. 

A  change  now  took  place  in  the  transactions  of  IS^ew 
Court.  The  feverish  anxieties  of  war  time  were  over, 
and  financial  operations  became  founded  on  a  firmer  and 
more  substantial  basis.  In  other  respects  the  character 
of  the  business  carried  on  by  Mr.  Rothschild  and  his 
colleagues  was  little  altered.  Instead  of  finding  money 
to  pay  armies  they  now  had  to  provide  the  means  for  re- 
organizing the  unsettled  European  Governments.  The 
French  undertook  to  give  compensation  to  the  allies 
for  every  kind  of  damage  caused  by  the  armies  of  the 
Consulate  and  Empire,  and  to  pay  an  indemnity  of 
700,000,000  francs.  Altogether  two  milliards  were 
required,  and  it  devolved  upon  the  Rothschilds  to  nego- 
tiate loans  for  the  settlement  of  this  huge  claim. 

In  1824  Abraham  Montefiore  died  at  Lyons,  on  his 
way  home  from  Cannes,  whither  he  had  gone  for  the 
re-establishment  of  his  health.  He  had  been  excep- 
tionally fortunate  on  the  Stock  Exchange,  and  left 
behind  him  an  immense  fortune.  Moses  Montefiore 
had  also  accumulated  considerable  wealth,  and  now, 
past  the  midway  of  life,  without  children  to  work  for 
or  partner  to  assist  him,  he  began  to  consider  whether 
he  might  not  free  himself  from  the  labors  and  anxieties 
of  money-getting.     As  was  his  wont,  he  turned  to  his 


22  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

beloved  wife  for  ad^dce,  and  her  counsel — "  thank  God, 
and  be  content " — he  followed.  The  year  in  which  Sir 
Moses  retired  from  business  was  the  stormiest  the  City- 
had  known  since  the  days  of  the  South  Sea  Bubble,  but, 
as  in  1721  so  in  1825,  the  Jewish  financial  houses  stood 
as  firm  as  a  rock. 

With  a  few  companies,  of  which  he  was  President  or 
Director,  Mr.  Montefiore  continued  his  connection. 
Among  these  were  the  Alliance  Insurance  Company, 
the  Imperial  Continental  Gas  Association,  the  Provin- 
cial Bank  of  Ireland,  and  the  British,  Irish,  and  Colo- 
nial Silk  Company.  Of  the  two  first  he  was  a  founder. 
The  establishment  of  the  Alliance  was  brought  about 
by  the  unsuccessful  candidature  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Gom- 
pertz,  a  brother-in  law  of  Mr.  Montefiore,  for  the  f)ost 
of  actuary  to  the  Guardian  Office.  It  was  whispered  at 
the  time  that  Mr.  Gompertz  owed  his  want  of  success 
to  the  fact  of  his  being  a  Jew,  and  much  indignation 
was  excited  among  his  co-religionists  in  consequence. 
Dissatisfaction  also  prevailed  in  the  Jewish  community 
at  the  difficulties  which  the  existing  companies  inter- 
posed in  the  way  of  granting  fire  policies  to  Jews,  the 
impression  appearing  to  prevail  that  arson  had  some 
peculiar  charm  for  the  Hebrew.  Mr.  Montefiore  con- 
sulted Mr.  Rothschild  on  the  subject,  and  suggested  the 
formation  of  a  new  insurance  office.  In  this  Mr.  Roths- 
child concurred,  although  he  was  already  a  shareholder 
in  the  Guardian,  and  very  soon  an  influential  directorate 
was  brought  together.  Curiously  enough  the  strong 
Jewish  character  of  the  new  office  became  an  important 
element  in  its  success.  It  had  not  then  been  ascertained 
that  the  Jews  enjoyed  a  greater  longevity  than  other 
races,  and  their  lives  were  consequently  insm*ed  at  rates 


Commercial  Career.  23 

determined  by  the  ordinary  actuarial  calculations.  Some 
fifteen  years  later  Hoffmann  of  Berlin,  and  Bernouilli 
of  Basle,  commenced  the  elaborate  studies  in  vital  sta- 
tistics which  have  since  proved  that  Jewish  lives  are,  on 
an  average,  nearly  fifty  per  cent,  more  valuable  than 
those  of  any  other  known  people. 

The  Gas  Association  was  at  first  not  so  successful. 
Its  object  was  to  extend  the  system  of  gas-lighting  to 
the  principal  European  cities.  Only  ten  years  before 
men  of  scientific  eminence,  among  them  Davy,  Wollas- 
ton,  and  "Watt,  had  declared  that  coal  gas  could  never 
be  safely  applied  to  the  purposes  of  street-lighting,  and 
an  immense  amount  of  prejudice  still  remained  to  be 
encountered.  Progress  was  extremely  slow,  and  for 
seventeen  years  Sir  Moses  took  no  director's  fees.  Dur- 
ing his  foreign  tours  he  paid  many  anxious  visits  to  the 
company's  Continental  establishments.  He  was  fre- 
quently advised  to  terminate  the  operations  of  the  com- 
pany, but  he  declined.  His  courage  and  enterprise 
were  ultimately  rewarded.  The  company  gradually 
turned  the  comer,  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous of  the  commercial  societies  in  the  City.  Of  both 
these  companies  Sir  Moses  still  remains  President,  and 
it  is  his  custom  to  give  an  annual  dinner  to  all  employed 
in  their  London  offices.  In  1836  the  Eoyal  Society 
recognised  his  exertions  in  the  early  introduction  of 
gas  by  electing  him  a  fellow,  as  "  a  gentleman  much 
attached  to  science  and  its  practical  use."  His  sup^Dort- 
ers  on  the  occasion  were  Sir  Kichard  Yyvyan,  Dr.  Bab- 
ington.  Dr.  Pettigrew,  Colonel  Colby,  and  others. 

Sir  Moses  was  also  one  of  the  original  directors  of  the 
Provincial  Bank  of  Ireland,  and  so  great  was  his  inter- 
est in  that   undertaking  that,  when  its  offices  were 


24  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

opened  in  Dublin,  he  made  a  special  journey  across  St. 
George's  Channel  to  issue  its  first  note  over  the  counter. 
Later  in  life  he  joined  the  board  of  the  South  Eastern 
Kail  way  Company  on  its  formation ;  and  he  was  also 
concerned  in  financing  the  loan  of  £20,000,000  by  which 
the  objects  of  the  Slave  Emancipation  movement  of 
1833  were  carried  out. 

On  his  retirement  Mr.  Montefiore  sold  his  residence 
in  ISTew  Court,  St.  Swithin's  Lane,  to  the  Alliance  In- 
surance Company,  and,  as  befitted  a  gentleman  of  for- 
tune and  leisure,  took  a  house  in  the  fashionable  West. 
This  was  in  Green  Street,  Park  Lane.  He  afterwards 
removed  to  his  present  address,  35  Park  Lane,  then  10 
Grosvenor  Gate.  Mr.  Rothschild  appears  to  have  taken 
a  house  about  the  same  time  in  Piccadilly,  and  the 
brothers-in-law  were,  consequently,  still  neighbors.  The 
district  was  then  comparatively  new,  and  as  open  and 
suburban  as  Ejlburn  and  Willesden  at  the  present  day. 
The  row  of  houses  in  which  Mr.  Montefiore  took  up  his 
abode  was  unfinished,  and  where  Marble  Arch  now 
stands  were  tea-houses  and  the  booths  of  donkey-  and 
pony-keepers,  who  hired  out  their  cattle  to  children  for 
a  gallop  down  the  Bayswater  Road. 


First  Visit  to  tJie  Holy  Land,  25 


CHAPTER  III. 

FIRST   VISIT   TO   THE   HOLY  LAITD. 

May  Day,  1827. — The  Start  from  Park  Lane. — London  to  Dover  in 
Twelve  Hours. — Posting  tlirougli  France. — Aged  Poor  on  the 
Route. — Dangers  of  Eastern  Travel. — The  Greek  Insurrection 
and  the  Powers. — Pirates  in  the  Mediterranean. — Mr.  Monteflore 
Engages  a  Schooner  and  is  Convoyed  to  Alexandria  by  a  Sloop 
of  "War. — Chase  of  a  Pirate. — From  Alexandria  to  Cairo. — Inter- 
view with  Mehemet  Ali. — New  Year  at  Alexandria. — Journey  to 
Jaffa  Disguised  as  Turks. — Reception  at  Jerusalem. — The  Jews 
of  the  Holy  Land. — The  Return  Journey. — Battle  of  Navarino. 
Admiral  Sir  William  Codrington  Intrusts  Mr.  Monteflore  with 
Despatches. — Home  Again. — Mr.  Monteflore  and  H.  R.  H.  the 
Duke  of  Clarence. 

It  is  May  Day  in  the  year  182Y — a  typical  May  Day. 
Kot  a  speck  is  visible  in  the  gleaming  sky,  and  the  trees 
of  Hyde  Park  are  clad  in  their  full  robes  of  green.  A 
concert  of  carolling  and  chirping  songsters  comes  from 
the  leafy  shadows,  and  the  air  is  laden  with  perfnme 
from  the  flower  gardens  of  the  neighborhood.  Eight 
o'clock  has  not  yet  struck,  but  notwithstanding  the 
earliness  of  the  hour  one  of  the  houses  in  Park  Lane  is 
already  astir,  A  capacious  travelling  carriage  with  four 
horses  stands  at  the  door,  and  servants  are  busy  packing 
away  valises  and  trunks,  and  all  the  requisites  for  a  pro- 
tracted journey. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monteflore  are  about  to  undertake  their 


26  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejlore. 

long-contemplated  visit  to  tlie  Holy  Land,  the  cradle  of 
their  race,  the  theatre  of  the  most  remarkable  episodes 
in  its  stupendous  history.  Many  a  time  in  the  brief 
holidays  snatched  from  the  absorbing  occupations  of 
their  City  life,  the  worthy  and  pious  couple  had  laid 
out  plans  for  a  visit  in  the  following  year  to  the  hal- 
lowed soil  in  which  so  much  of  their  historic  sympathy 
centred,  but  when  the  time  came  something  always 
occurred  to  prevent  it — either  political  complications 
rendered  travelling  in  the  Mediterranean  unsafe,  or  Mr. 
Montefiore  could  not  be  spared  from  the  Stock  Ex- 
change— and  so  they  were  obliged  to  content  themselves 
with  another  peep  at  Paris,  or  a  short  stay  at  Rome,  or 
a  visit  to  the  birthplace  of  the  Montefiores  in  the  city  of 
the  Medicis,  or  sometimes  only  with  a  ramble  along  the 
South  coast,  amid  scenes  consecrated  by  the  recollections 
of  their  honeymoon.  Now,  however,  the  City  had 
ceased  to  have  an  imperative  claim  on  Mr.  Montefiore's 
time,  and  the  cherished  project  was  to  be  realized. 

At  six  o'clock  Mr.  Montefiore  had  gone,  as  was  his 
wont,  to  attend  early  morning  service  in  the  synagogue, 
and  thither,  as  soon  as  the  travelling  carriage  was  ready, 
his  wife  proceeded,  first  stopping  for  a  moment  in  Pic- 
cadilly to  wave  her  adieux  to  young  Hannah  Roths- 
child,* who  had  risen  thus  early  to  bid  her  beloved  aunt 
and  uncle  God-speed.  The  carriage  clattered  into  the 
City,  took  up  Mr.  Montefiore  in  Bevis  Marks,  and  made 
its  way  towards  the  Dover  Road.  Breakfast  was  taken 
at  Dartford  and  dinner  at  Canterbury,  and  at  the  end 
of  twelve  hours  the  travellers  alighted  at  Dover. 

*  Afterwards  wife  of  the  Right  Hon.  Henry  Fitzroy,  and  mother 
of  the  present  Lady  Coutts  Lindsay  of  Balcarres. 


First  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land,  27 

Very  interesting  is  Mrs.  Montefiore's  diary*  of  the 
journey  which  commenced  so  auspiciously  on  this  bright 
May  morning;  particularly  as  showing  how  primitive 
still  were  the  conditions  of  foreign  travel  fifty  years 
ago.  It  is  not  surprising  to  learn  that,  when  it  took 
twelve  hours  to  journey  to  Dover,  three  months  were 
required  to  reach  Malta,  and  that  only  after  seven  weeks 
more  could  Jerusalem  be  entered.  Kor  were  the  cir- 
cumstances of  this  voyage  less  striking  and  romantic 
than  one  might  expect  from  its  primitive  character, 
albeit  its  date  is  so  comparatively  recent. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Montefiore  embarked  from  Dover  un- 
der a  salute  of  guns  in  honor  of  their  fellow-passenger, 
the  Prussian  Ambassador,  who  was  about  to  take  leave 
of  absence.  The  travelling  carriage  was  put  on  board, 
and  served  as  a  cabin  during  the  passage.  Arrived  at 
Calais,  the  Montefiores  were  joined  by  their  relatives, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Salomons,  and  together  they  pro- 
ceeded to  post  through  France.  Boulogne,  Montreuil, 
Abbeville,  GrandviUiers,  Beaumont,  and  Charenton 
were  reached  in  rapid  succession,  the  outskirts  of  Paris 
were  passed,  a  brisk  run  was  enjoyed  on  the  Melun 
road,  the  Autun  mountain  was  scaled,  and  on  the  11th 
May  Lyons  was  reached.  Here  the  happy  party  was 
saddened  by  the  receipt  of  letters  announcing  the  death 
of  a  relative,  and  their  depression  was  not  relieved  when, 
in  the  course  of  the  evening,  Mr.  Montefiore  discovered 
that  they  were  stopping  in  the  hotel  in  which  liis 
brother  Abraham  had  breathed  his  last  three  years  be- 
fore. So  far,  however,  the  journey  had  been  a  happy 
one.     Every  now  and  then  we  read  of  Mrs.  Montefiore 

*  Privately  printed  in  1836. 


28  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

enjoying  "  a  stage  outside  the  coacli  with  dear  M ," 

"  a  little  variety,"  adds  the  diarist,  with  almost  giriish 
archness,  "  which  made  it  pleasing  to  all  parties."  Lit- 
tle dreaming  of  the  old  age  that  one  of  their  party  was 
destined  to  attain,  the  travellers  took  an  especial  delight 
in  relieving  the  wants  of  the  aged  poor  on  their  route. 
At  Chambery  they  assisted  a  poverty-stricken  woman 
who  was  stated  to  be  114  years  old;  at  Lans-le-bourg 
one  of  the  applicants  for  their  bounty  was  93;  and  at 
a  village  on  the  dreary  mountain  side  of  Radicofani, 
"  which  seems  the  asylum  of  poverty,  Montefiore  gave 
the  curate  a  dollar  for  the  oldest  person  in  the  place, 
who  they  said  had  only  the  heavens  for  his  covering  and 
the  earth  for  his  couch." 

Having  traversed  the  Mont  Cenis  without  accident, 
and  written  a  few  grateful  sentences  in  their  prayer- 
books  for  their  "  safe  passage  across  the  Alpine  bar- 
rier," the  travellers  arrived  at  Florence  in  time  to  cele- 
brate Shehuoth  (the  Feast  of  Weeks).  The  gentlemen 
went  to  the  synagogue  at  seven  in  the  morning,  but  the 
heat  was  so  great  that  the  ladies  were  obliged  to  con- 
duct their  devotions  at  their  hotel.  Naples,  their  last 
resting-place  on  the  European  mainland,  was  reached 
dui'ing  the  rejoicings  of  the  festa  of  Corpus  Domini, 
and  here  the  Montefiores  bade  farewell  to  their  travel- 
ling companions. 

Rumors  now  began  to  reach  the  voyagers  of  the  dan- 
gers of  travelling  in  the  East.  The  Greek  insurrection 
had  attracted  the  official  attention  of  Europe  in  conse- 
quence of  the  cruelties  of  Ibrahim  Pacha  in  the  Pelo- 
ponnesus, and  the  relations  between  the  Porte  and  the 
Powers  were  becoming  strained.  It  was  pointed  out  to 
Mr.  Montefiore  that  under  these  circumstances  a  journey 


First  Visit  to  the  Holy  Lomd.  29 

to  Palestine  was  fraught  with  great  peril.  The  Duke 
of  Richelieu,  on  his  way  home  from  Egypt,  happened, 
however,  to  stop  at  Naples,  and  he  reassured  the  travel- 
lers. They  determined  to  proceed.  The  Portia^  a  1T6- 
ton  brig,  was  engaged  to  take  them  to  Messina,  whence 
they  were  carried  in  a  Htter  over  the  Sicilian  mountains, 
and  at  Capo  Passero  embarked  in  a  speranara,  or  two- 
masted  open  row-boat,  for  Malta.  General  Ponsonby, 
the  governor,  received  them  most  cordially,  but  did  not 
allay  their  anxieties  as  to  the  safety  of  Eastern  travel. 
So  lawless  had  the  high  seas  become  in  consequence  of 
the  disorganized  state  of  Oriental  jDoIitics,  that  it  had 
been  found  necessary  to  dispatch  a  large  naval  fotce 
against  the  pirates.  Mr.  Montefiore,  high-spirited  and 
sanguine,  was  with  difficulty  persuaded  from  taking 
passage  in  an  unescorted  merchantman.  On  the  1st 
August  news  was  received  that  an  ultimatum  had  been 
presented  to  the  Porte  by  the  British,  French,  and  Rus- 
sian ministers,  and  again  the  travellers  were  warned 
that  it  would  be  "  too  enterprising"  to  proceed  until  a 
reply  had  been  handed  to  the  Powers  by  the  Sultan. 
Still  Mr.  Montefiore  "  seems  bent  upon  going  at  all 
events,"  and  the  Leonidas,  a  vessel  of  380  tons  burden, 
carrying  twenty-two  men,  "  which  we  trust  will  be 
amply  sufficient  to  repel  the  attacks  of  pirates,"  was  en- 
engaged  for  £550  to  take  him  and  his  wife  to  Alexan- 
dria. Mrs.  Montefiore  now  became  indisposed — the 
anxieties  of  the  journey  had  apparently  told  upon  her — 
and  it  was  not  until  the  welcome  intelligence  was  re- 
ceived that  the  Leonidas  was  to  be  convoyed  to  Alexan- 
dria by  the  Gannet  sloop-of-war,  that  she  was  enabled 
to  leave  her  chamber. 

Having  relieved  the  poor  of  the  Malta  congregation, 


30  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

and  given  a  farewell  breakfast  to  tlie  chiefs  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, tlie  travellers  again  embarked.  On  the  seventh 
day  after  their  dej)arture  the  Gannet  gave  chase  to  a  sup- 
posed pirate,  but  "  the  valiant  anticipations  of  making  a 
capture  were  vain."  Otherwise  the  voyage  was  quiet 
and  dull.  On  the  twelfth  day  they  arrived  at  Alexan- 
dria, where  they  passed  a  couple  of  days  examining  the 
antiquities  of  the  city.  Then,  in  three  days  more,  they 
partly  sailed  and  were  partly  towed  up  the  Mle  in  a 
cangia  to  Cairo.  Here  they  explored  the  great  Pyramid 
under  the  guidance  of  a  Bedouin,  who  told  them  he  had 
acted  in  the  same  capacity  to  JS'apoleon,  and  on  the  5th 
September  they  were  presented  to  Mehemet  Ali.  The 
portrait  of  this  remarkable  man,  sketched  by  Mrs.  Mon- 
tefiore, is  very  interesting : 

"  The  conversation  was  supported  in  a  Kvely  manner 
by  the  Pacha  for  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  He  smoked, 
and  ordered  coffee  to  be  served.  His  pipe  was  richly 
studded  with  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones.  He 
encourages  every  new  invention  and  improvement,  and 
informed  Montefiore  of  his  having  established  silk  and 
other  manufactories  in  his  temtories ;  and  that  he  had 
planted  numbers  of  olive  and  mulberry  trees.  His  ex- 
tensive mercantile  transactions  were,  however,  a  great 
source  of  jealousy  and  dissatisfaction  to  his  subjects, 
who  are  thereby  deprived  of  the  advantages  of  compe- 
tition and  unfettered  trade.  He  would  not  grant  a  far- 
mer a  longer  lease  than  a  year,  and  fixed  the  price  of 
all  the  produce  of  the  land  himself.  At  the  age  of 
forty-five  he  commenced  learning  to  read  and  write, 
which  he  persevered  in  to  his  satisfaction ;  a  singular 
instance  of  strength  of  mind.  All  his  vast  transactions 
are  managed  by  himself,  and  every  written  dacument 


First  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land.  31 

passes  under  his  inspection.  He  told  Montefiore  that 
he  never  indulges  in  more  than  fom*  hours'  sleep  during 
the  night.  He  might  prove  a  great  character  in  the 
world  were  he  entirely  unfettered." 

This  interview  laid  the  foundation  of  a  lasting  friend- 
ship. Mehemet  Ali  was  so  charmed  with  his  Jewish 
visitor  that  he  proposed  to  him  to  act  as  his  agent  in 
England.  Although  Mi'.  Montefiore's  retirement  from 
business  rendered  his  acceptance  of  this  offer  impracti- 
cable, he  has  always  maintained  relations  of  a  friendly 
character  with  the  Egyptian  Court.  When,  in  after 
years.  Said  Pacha,  a  successor  of  Mehemet,  sent  his  son 
Toussoun  to  England  to  be  educated,  his  guardianship 
was  confided  to  Sir  Moses. 

Another  cangia  took  the  travellers  back  to  Alexan- 
dria, but  there  the  chances  of  being  able  to  reach  Jerusa- 
lem in  safety  became  more  than  ever  remote.  The  Sul- 
tan— or  "  Grand  Signor,"  as  Mrs.  Montefiore  calls  him 
in  old-fashioned  phrase — had  not  deigned  to  reply  to  the 
ultimatum  of  the  powers,  and  war  seemed  imminent. 
Mr.  Montefiore  was  in  despair;  his  good  wife,  not  so  ar- 
dent to  brave  danger,  philosophized  on  the  "  futility  and 
weakness  of  all  human  plans."  Their  position  was  any- 
thing but  enviable.  One  person  told  them  that  Abdallah, 
the  Pacha  of  Damascus,  was  inimical  to  all  Em-opeans, 
and  "  that  a  Frank  by  going  to  Syria  would  run  the  risk 
of  being  massacred."  To  return  was  equally  out  of  the 
question,  for  no  convoy  was  available,  and  the  pirates 
had  assembled  in  force.  "  You  will  certainly  be  sold 
for  slaves  if  you  stir,"  said  Mr.  Salt,  the  British  Consul, 
and  so  they  were  obliged  to  pass  the  Jewish  IS^ew  Year 
"  pent  up  in  a  miserable  room,  in  a  confined  street,  and 
suffocating  from  the  sands  and  hot  blasts  of  the  sirocco 


32  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

wind."  Mrs.  Montefiore  adds,  complacently,  that  her 
husband  "now  began  to  comprehend  that  travelling  is 
not  always  divested  of  disagreeables." 

In  this  way  they  were  detained  several  weeks  in 
Egypt;  but  eventually  they  resolved,  in  defiance  of  all 
danger,  to  set  sail  for  Jaffa.  Mrs.  Montefiore  donned 
the  Turkish  hernische  and  white  muslin  turban  and  veil, 
in  order  to  pass  for  a  Mussulman  lady,  in  case  of  acci- 
dents. Several  of  the  European  gentlemen  on  board 
also  assumed  an  Oriental  garb;  but  Mr.  Montefiore,  gal- 
lant as  ever,  refused  all  solicitations  to  disguise  himself. 
Fortunately  Jaffa  was  reached  in  safety;  and,  after  some 
parleying,  the  travellers  were  allowed  by  the  Turkish 
authorities  to  land,  and  to  proceed  to  Jerusalem. 

By  all  classes  of  the  population  of  the  holy  city  they 
were  received  with  overwhelming  cordiality.  So  de- 
lighted were  the  Jews  to  welcome  one  of  their  own 
faith,  who  was  affluent  and  honored,  that  the  Chacham, 
in  his  enthusiasm,  likened  Mr.  Montefiore's  visit  to  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah.  The  Governor  invited  him  to 
his  house,  offered  him  pipes  and  coffee,  and  ordered  a 
scribe  to  add  a  handsome  eulogium  to  his  passport,  to 
which  he  affixed  his  name  and  seal.  The  travellers  had 
entered  Jerusalem  with  the  prof oundest  reverence ;  but 
this  feeling  was  soon  transformed  into  pity  for  its 
"fallen,  desolate,  and  abject  condition,"  as  Mrs.  Mon- 
tefiore describes  it.  This  is  the  account  her  diary  gives 
of  the  state  of  the  Holy  Land : 

"  Many  were  the  solemn  thoughts  which  rose  in  our 
minds  on  finding  ourselves  in  this  Holy  Land  :  the 
country  of  our  ancestors,  of  our  religion,  and  of  our 
former  greatness,  but  now,  alas !  of  persecution  and 
oppression.     "We  hear  from  every  one  of  the  extortions 


First  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land.  33 

that  are  levied,  and  that  there  is  no  means  of  support, 
except  such  as  is  provided  by  the  bounty  of  other  coun- 
tries, with  the  exception  of  the  little  help  afforded  by  the 
few  families  who  continue  here  from  a  principle  of  re- 
ligious enthusiasm,  and  contribute  all  in  their  power  to 
the  support  of  the  necessitous.  There  are  four  Syna- 
gogues adjoining  each  other,  belonging  to  the  Portu- 
guese, who  form  the  principal  portion  of  the  Jewish 
community.  The  Germans  have  only  one  place  of 
worship,  and  the  greater  proportion  of  the  population 
are  from  Poland.  .  .  .  There  is  no  commerce  ;  and 
shops  are  not  suffered  on  terms  which  admit  of  their 
becoming  profitable." 

On  the  21st  October  they  left  Jerusalem.  During 
the  whole  of  the  preceding  night  seventeen  Kabbis 
sat  up  praying  for  them  in  the  Synagogue.  The  next 
morning  the  Portuguese  high-priest  came  at  an  early 
hour  to  give  them  his  blessing;  and  then,  amid  the 
good  wishes  of  a  numerous  multitude,  who  followed 
them  to  the  gates,  they  set  out  on  their  return 
journey. 

This  visit  to  Jerusalem  impressed  the  travellers  deep- 
ly ;  it  gave  a  deep-seated  and  serious  purpose  to  their 
hves  ;  it  cemented  the  foundations  of  that  ardent  inter- 
est in  the  fortunes  of  their  oppressed  race,  and  suffering 
humanity  generally,  which  has  written  the  name  of 
"  Montefiore"  so  large  in  the  history  of  Judaism  and 
philanthropy.  How  deeply  this  influence  was  felt, 
even  at  the  early  period  of  this  first  journey,  may  be 
seen  in  Mrs.  Montefiore's  eloquent  words  at  the  close  of 
her  chapter  on  Jerusalem : 

"  '  Farewell,  Holy  City  ! '  we  exclaimed,  in  our  hearts. 
'  Blessed  be  the  Almighty,  who  has  protected  us  while 


34  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

contemplating  tlie  sacred  scenes  whicli  environ  thee ! 
Thankful  may  we  ever  be  for  His  manifold  mercies ! 
May  the  fountain  of  our  feelings  evermore  run  in  the 
current  of  praise  and  entire  devotion  to  His  will  and  His 
tnith,  till  the  time  shall  arrive  when  the  ransomed  of 
the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  to  Zion  with  songs  and 
everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads.'  " 

The  return  journey  was  undertaken  not  a  moment  too 
soon;  indeed,  had  it  not  been  for  the  slowness  with 
which  news  travelled  in  the  year  1827,  the  departure  of 
the  Montefiores  from  Turkish  territory  might  not  have 
been  altogether  unmolested.  The  battle  of  ]^avarino 
had  been  fought  the  day  before  they  left  Jerusalem,  and 
they  arrived  in  Alexandria  in  time  to  hear  the  Arab 
women  lamenting  the  disaster  in  the  j)ublic  streets. 
l!^or  had  all  danger  from  pirates  passed  away.  Vessels 
preceding  them  had  been  attacked  by  the  Greek  bucca- 
neers ;  and  at  Alexandria  they  witnessed  the  arrival  of 
one  of  these  corsairs  in  the  safe  custody  of  a  French 
cutter.  The  journey  back  to  Malta  was  full  of  anxieties. 
Being  without  convoy,  they  asked  the  chief  officer  of 
the  ship  whether  he  would  offer  any  resistance  were  he 
attacked.  "  Oh,  certainly  !"  was  the  encouraging  reply. 
"  Do  you  think  I  should  tamely  consent  to  have  my 
ship  pillaged,  when  I  have  the  promise  of  Captain  Mon- 
tefiore's  assistance,  and  four  loaded  guns  to  the  vessel  ?" 
"  Then  we  have  a  chance  of  having  our  throats  cut !" 
blankly  exclaimed  Dr.  Madden,  who  was  of  the  party. 

Their  usual  good  fortune  attended  them,  however ; 
and,  after  a  somewhat  stormy  voyage,  Malta  was  safely 
reached.  Here  they  met  Admiral  Sir  William  Codring- 
ton,  to  whom  they  had  letters  of  introduction,  and  were 
entrusted  by  him  with  despatches,  on  the  subject  of 


First  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land.  ^5 

Navarino,  to  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  afterwards  "William 
lY.  Homeward,  then,  they  travelled  with  all  speed. 
H.  M.  S.  Mastiff  carried  them  in  six  days  to  Messina, 
and  thence  to  Naples  ;  and  much  the  same  route  as 
the  outward  journey  brought  them  in  eight  weeks  to 
London. 

The  despatches,  of  which  he  was  the  bearer,  Mr. 
Montefiore  deUvered  at  the  house  of  the  Duke  of  Clar- 
ence before  going  to  his  own  home.  !Next  morning 
His  Royal  Highness  sent  for  him  to  Park  Lane,  to  thank 
him  personally  for  his  complaisance.  In  the  course  of 
the  conversation  that  ensued  His  Royal  Highness  asked 
what  people  in  the  East  were  saying  of  IS^avarino? 
"  That  it  could  not  be  prevented,"  was  the  answer ; 
"  for,  as  the  British  commander  himself  said,  '  when  the 
British  flag  is  insulted,  an  English  admii'al  knows  what 
is  his  duty ! '"  To  which  the  Duke  replied,  musingly, 
"  Inevitable !    Inevitable  !" 


36  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 


CHAPTEK  lY. 

EAULT    COMMIJNAIi    LAJBOES. 

Ineligibility  of  Minors  for  Membership  of  the  Synagogue. — Mr. 
Montefiore  Petitions  the  Council  of  Elders  for  Admission. — Peti- 
tion Granted  on  the  same  Day  that  a  New  Chief  Rabbi  is  Elected. 
— Mr.  Montefiore's  Zeal  in  the  Service  of  the  Synagogue. — He 
holds  Office. — Becomes  Treasurer. — Isaac  Disraeli's  Synagogue 
Account. — Reaches  the  Dignity  of  Parnass. — Signatures  in  old 
Minute-books. —  The  "Montefiore"  Almshouses.  —  Extra-syna- 
gogual  Labors. — The  Lavadores. — The  two  "Nations"  in  the 
Jewish  Community. — Mr.  Montefiore  Disapproves  of  the  Divi- 
sion.— Contributes  by  his  Marriage  and  his  Advice  to  its  Eradi- 
cation.— Devotes  himself  to  the  Emancipation  Struggle. — Be- 
comes a  Member  of  the  Board  of  Deputies. — Throws  himself 
with  Energy  into  the  Work. — Purchases  East  Cliff  Lodge. — 
Could  Jews  hold  Land  ? — Former  Residents  at  East  Cliff. 

Foe  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  previous  to  the 
journey  described  in  the  last  chapter  Mr.  Montefiore 
had  been  an  earnest  and  active  member  of  the  Syna- 
gogue. From  his  earliest  youth  he  had  been  a  punctual 
attendant  at  the  services,  and,  from  the  time  he  attained 
man's  estate,  a  generous  contributor  to  the  congregational 
funds.  It  was  one  of  the  rules  of  the  Portuguese  Syna- 
gogue that  no  one  should  be  eligible  for  membership  of 
the  congregatiou  before  his  twenty-first  year,  and  this 
rule  was  only  waived  under  exceptional  circumstances, 
and  on  receipt  of  a  petition  for  admission  from  the 
youthful  candidate.     On  the  4th  [N'ovember,  1804,  an 


Ea/rly  Oommiunal  Labors.  37 

important  meeting  of  the  Council  of  Elders  was  held 
under  tlie  presidency  of  Mr.  Jacob  Samuda,  tlie  "Warden 
President,  for  tlie  purpose  of  electing  a  new  Chief 
Eabbi.  After  a  long  deliberation  the  choice  fell  upon 
the  learned  Rabbi  Raphael  Meldola,  of  Leghorn,  and  a 
hope  was  expressed  that  this  gentleman  would  succeed 
in  reviving  the  religious  spirit  of  the  congregation, 
which  since  the  death  of  the  late  Chacham  Azevedo  had 
been  very  conspicuously  waning.  Towards  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  meeting  the  chairman  announced  that  he  had 
received  a  petition  from  Mr.  Moses  Montefiore,  of  Yaux- 
hall,  who,  although  only  twenty  years  of  age,  was  desir- 
ous of  being  admitted  a  Yahid,  or  member  of  the  congre- 
gation. A  few  questions  were  asked  and  the  prayer  was 
unanimously  granted.  To  no  two  men  is  English  Juda- 
ism more  substantially  indebted  than  Chacham  Meldola 
and  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  and  it  is  an  interesting  coin- 
cidence that  they  were  elected  members  of  the  commu- 
nity, though  in  widely  different  ranks,  on  the  same  day. 
The  Synagogue  authorities  had  no  reason  to  regret 
their  infraction  of  the  law  in  admitting  Mr.  Montefiore. 
A  more  regular  attendant  at  the  services  had  never  been 
seen  within  the  Synagogue  walls.  Every  morning,  at 
seven  o'clock,  he  was  in  his  place,  piously  offering  up 
his  prayers  to  the  God  of  his  ancestors.  As  his  means 
improved,  so  year  by  year  he  increased  his  contributions 
to  the  Synagogue  exchequer ;  and,  at  the  meetings  of 
the  Yahidim  no  one  evinced  a  more  earnest  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  congregation.  He  soon  took  rank  in 
the  community,  and  one  by  one  served  all  the  various 
offices-connected  with  the  administration.  He  was  suc- 
cessively Parnass  or  Governor  of  the  Terra  Santa  and 
Cautivos  funds,  of  the  Hospital,  the  Burial  Society,  and 


38  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

the  Theological  College.  In  1814  he  became  Gabay^  or 
Treasurer,  and,  in  that  capacity,  had  doubtless  much  to 
do  with  the  celebrated  Synagogue  account,  which  Isaac 
D'Israeli  refused  to  j)ay  in  that  year,  and  which  eventu- 
ally led  to  the  secession  of  the  D'IsraeHs  from  the  Jew- 
ish community.  Five  years  later  he  reached  the  proud 
position  of  Parnass,  or  "Warden-President  of  the  con- 
gregation. Six  times  he  has  served  this  important  post, 
the  last  occasion  on  which  his  towering  form  was  seen 
in  the  Banca  (warden's  box)  being  in  1854.  His  assi- 
duity in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  may  be  seen  by  a 
reference  to  the  minute-books  of  the  congregation.  He 
appears  to  have  been  very  rarely  absent  from  the  vari- 
ous meetings,  and  hundreds  of  times  his  signature,  in  a 
neat  Italian  hand,  may  be  read  at  the  foot  of  the  records 
of  the  proceedings.  Previous  to  1826  his  autograph 
appears  in  the  Hebrew  style,  viz.,  "  Moseh  de  Joseph 
Elian  Montefiore  ;"  subsequent  to  that  date  he  adopted 
his  present  signature,  "  Moses  Montefiore,"  and,  except 
that  it  is  somewhat  firmer,  it  differs  in  no  respect  from 
his  signature  at  the  present  day. 

In  1823  Mr.  Montefiore  presented  the  Synagogue 
with  an  estate  of  thirteen  houses  in  Cock  Court,  Jewry 
Street,  on  the  condition  that  the  rents  arising  during 
five  years  should  be  invested  to  form  a  repairing  fund, 
and  then  the  dwellings  should  be  occupied  by  deserving 
poor.  The  "  Montefiore  Almshouses"  are  still  an  inter- 
esting feature  in  the  Sephardic  community. 

Mr.  Montefiore  did  not  confine  his  attention  to 
organizations  immediately  connected  with  the  Syna- 
gogue. He  co-operated  in  all  the  various  societies 
which  labored  for  the  communal  welfare.  His  un- 
ostentatious but  practical  piety  in  this  respect   is  iUus- 


Early  Communal  Labors.  39 

trated  by  his  connection  with  the  Lavadores^  an  extra- 
Synagogal  Society  for  washing  the  dead  and  preparing 
the  bodies  for  burial.  There  is  no  more  sacred  duty  in- 
cumbent on  the  Israelite  than  to  perform  the  last  offices 
for  the  dying  and  the  dead.  The  importance  of  the 
duty  in  Jewish  teaching  has  been  beautifully  expressed 
by  Heinrich  Heine : 

'  Drei  Gebote  sind  die  Hochsten : 
Gastrecht  ilben,  Kranke  pflegen 
Und  zum  Grabe  bin  den  Todten 
Mit  Gebeten  zu  geleiten." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  teaching  goes  beyond  mere 
prayer  at  burial.  The  duty  is  prescribed  of  washing 
and  coffining  the  corpse,  and  so  highly  is  this  duty 
esteemed  that  the  discharge  of  it  is  held  to  be  a  privilege 
to  which  only  the  most  blameless  Jews  may  be  ad- 
mitted. Hence  in  every  community  a  voluntary  society 
exists  charged  with  this  function,  and  the  most  jealous 
care  is  exercised  over  the  admission  of  members.  The 
wealthiest  Jews  are  frequently  found  among  them,  and, 
in  former  years,  membership  conveyed  a  higher  dis- 
tinction than  wealth  or  rank.  In  foreign  countries, 
when  the  Jews  desire  to  render  particular  honor  to  an 
eminent  non-Jew,  they  elect  him  an  honorary  member 
of  their  Chevra  Kadisha,  as  the  society  is  called  in  the 
German  communities.  One  of  these  at  Grosswai'dein 
recently  elected  M.  Tisza,  the  Hungarian  Premier,  a 
member,  in  acknowledgment  of  his  defence  of  the 
Israelites  against  the  Anti-Semitic  agitators.  The  late 
Emperor  Ferdinand  of  Austria  was  a  member  of  the 
Chevra  Kadisha  of  Prague,  and  whenever  his  name  ap- 
peared on  the  rota  he  never  failed  to  appoint  a  Jewish 


40  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

substitute  to  perform  liis  duties.  The  Englisli  Jews 
established  their  society  of  Lavadores  in  1Y23.  It  con- 
sists of  twenty-five  members,  each  of  whom  pays  an 
entrance  fee  and  an  annual  contribution  towards  the 
expenses.  Mr.  Montefiore  was  admitted  a  member  in 
1808.  Among  the  dead  for  whom  he  performed  the 
last  oflSces  was  the  very  Chacham  Meldola  who  entered 
the  Anglo-Jewish  community  on  the  same  day  that  he 
was  elected  a  Ydhid.  On  the  seventieth  anniversary 
of  his  entrance  into  the  society  he  was  reappointed  its 
Governor,  although,  of  course,  unable  any  longer  to 
undertake  the  work  attached  to  the  office. 

Orthodox  in  his  j)rinciples,  and  strictly  observant  of 
the  minute  Jewish  ceremonial,  Moses  Montefiore  was 
still  a  far-seeing  and  liberal  man  of  the  world.  His 
superiority  to  ancient  prejudices  was  illustrated  by  his 
marriage.  There  was  a  time  when  unions  between 
Spanish  and  German  Jews  were  frowned  upon  by  the 
aristocratic  denizens  of  Bevis  Marks.  The  j)ride  of  the 
Sephardim,  nurtured  in  the  most  brilliant  age  of  Spanish 
cultm'e,  of  which  they  were  at  once  the  promoters  and 
the  ornaments,  had  never  been  broken.  Even  the 
colossal  persecution  under  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  had 
not  humbled  them,  and  in  their  exile  they  shrunk  in- 
stinctively from  fellowship  with  their  German  and 
Polish  brethren,  upon  whose  sad  history  not  one  ray  of 
light  had  been  shed,  and  who  had  been  reduced  by 
ceaseless  oppression  to  a  lowly,  pettifogging,  almost  an 
ignoble  race.  The  barrier  between  the  two  "  nations," 
as  they  were  called,  although  unsanctioned  by  law  or 
ritual,  continued  for  a  long  time  after  the  German 
Jews  in  this  country  had  vindicated  their  native  Hebrew 
energy  and  skill  by  commercial   and  intellectual  sue- 


Early  Communal  Labors.  41 

cesses.  As  *ate  as  1744,  when  Jacob  Bemal,  an  ancestor 
of  the  present  Ducliess  of  St.  Albans,  desired  to  wed  a 
GeiTQan  Jewess,  he  had  to  apply  for  leave  to  the  Maha- 
mad  or  Council  of  Elders  of  the  Synagogue,  and  then 
he  only  obtained  permission  under  the  most  humihating 
conditions.  This  and  kindred  prejudices  had  never 
found  a  supporter  in  Moses  Montefiore.  By  his  mar- 
riage in  1812  with  a  "  Tedesco" — for  the  Cohen  family 
belonged  to  that  plebeian  section  of  the  community — 
he  contributed  to  break  it  down.  The  folly  and  in- 
justice of  the  division  between  the  two  "  nations"  be- 
came apparent  to  him  as  soon  as  he  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  his  wife's  accomplished  family.  When  he  be- 
gan to  think  over  the  struggle  the  Jews  would  soon 
have  to  sustain  in  order  to  win  a  legal  and  social  equality 
with  their  Chi'istian  fellow-citizens,  his  intelligence  as- 
sured him  that  any  such  division  in  the  community  was 
a  source  of  absolute  danger  to  its  interests.  In  almost 
every  city  he  has  visited  during  his  several  missions  to 
foreign  countries,  he  has  preached  the  necessity  of  com- 
munal union  to  his  co-religionists.  In  Jerusalem  he 
spoke  earnestly  on  the  subject  to  the  ecclesiastical  chiefs 
dm*ing  his  first  visit.  "  Discord  and  differences  in  the 
bosom  of  Judaism  have  been  my  greatest  grief,"  he 
significantly  said  in  1863,  to  a  deputation  which  waited 
upon  him  at  Pesth,  from  the  most  orthodox  and  un- 
bending of  the  Jewish  congregations  in  the  city. 

Deeply  impressed  with  what  he  had  seen  of  the  de- 
graded condition  of  his  co-religionists  in  the  East, 
during  his  tour  in  182Y,  Mr.  Montefiore  resolved,  soon 
after  his  return  to  England,  to  take  a  still  more  active 
part  in  the  public  life  of  the  Anglo-Jewish  community. 
A  survey  of  the  condition  of  his  brethren  assured  him 


42  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

that  it  would  be  impossible  for  them  to  do  anything  of 
importance  for  the  benefit  of  oppressed  foreign  com- 
munities. It  was  obviously  necessary  that  they  should 
win  their  own  freedom  first ;  and  he  was  gratified  to  see, 
that  for  a  struggle  to  this  end  both  the  times  and  the 
condition  of  his  co-religionists  were  favorable.  Mr. 
Montefiore's  views  on  Jewish  emancipation  were  not  of 
an  heroic  kind,  but  they  were  intelligent  and  practical. 
"  I  am  an  enemy  of  all  sudden  transitions,"  he  said  in 
conversation  some  years  after.  "  The  Jew  must,  in  his 
claims  and  wishes,  not  outstrip  the  age.  Let  him  ad- 
vance slowly  but  steadily ;  let  him  gradually  accustom 
his  Christian  fellow-citizens  to  his  gradual  progress  and 
success  in  public  life,  and  what  may  not  be  obtainable 
even  by  an  arduous  struggle,  will,  after  a  certain  time, 
fall  into  his  lap  like  ripe  fruit."  Mr.  Montefiore  thought 
he  saw  these  conditions  fulfilled  as  he  pondered  on  the 
subject  fifty-six  years  ago.  There  was  union  in  the 
community ;  many  of  its  members  had  won  for  them- 
selves distinguished  positions  in  society,  and  the  ten- 
dency of  national  thought,  as  illustrated  in  Parliament 
by  tlie  Catholic  emancipation  agitation,  was  distinctly 
liberal. 

A  representative  body  charged  with  the  duty  of 
"  watching"  all  chances  of  emancipation  was  already  in 
existence  in  the  Anglo-Jewish  community.  The  De- 
putados,  or  "  United  Deputies  of  British  Jews,"  was 
formed  in  1746,  when  the  two  houses  of  the  Irish 
Legislature  were  quarrelling  over  a  Jewish  Naturaliza- 
tion Bill.  The  Irish  House  of  Commons  had  twice 
passed  the  Bill,  and  twice  it  had  been  rejected  by  the 
House  of  Lords.  The  Bevis  Marks  Synagogue  formed 
a  Committee  of  Diligence,  to  render  assistance  to  the 


Ea/rly  Communal  Labors.  43 

party  favorable  to  Jewish  emancipation,  but  the  Bill 
was  again  and  finally  negatived  by  the  Peers.  Un- 
daunted by  their  want  of  success,  the  Jews  of  London 
set  themselves  to  organize  their  forces.  From  the 
"Committee  of  Diligence"  was  formed  in  1Y60  the 
"  Deputies  of  the  Portuguese  nation,"  and  towards  the 
end  of  the  same  year  that  body  admitted  to  its  delibera- 
tions representatives  of  the  German  congregations  in 
Duke's  Place  and  Magpie  Alley.  For  many  years  the 
labors  of  the  "  Deputies"  were  not  of  any  great  import- 
ance. The  presentation  of  addresses  to  the  Crown,  full 
of  assurances  of  Jewish  loyalty,  on  occasions  of  public 
rejoicing  or  public  mourning,  formed  the  staple  of  their 
work.  In  1Y95  their  representations  to  Parhament  pro- 
cured the  rejection  of  a  clause  of  doubtful  bearing  in 
the  Sedition  Bill,  and  in  1805  they  prosecuted  the  St. 
James'  Chronicle  for  the  publication  of  some  offensive 
articles  against  the  Jews,  and  obtained  an  apology  from 
the  Editor. 

This  body,  of  which  Mr.  Moses  Mocatta  had  become 
president,  was  joined  by  Mr.  Montefiore  early  in  1828. 
An  inspection  of  the  minutes  of  the  "  United  Deputies" 
discloses  from  this  date  a  sudden  development  in  their 
corporate  activity,  which  it  is  impossible  not  to  associate 
with  their  new  recruit.  During  the  very  month  of  his 
election  he  became  a  member  of  a  sub-committee  charged 
to  draw  up  a  petition  in  reference  to  the  repeal  of  the 
Test  and  Corporation  Acts,  and  to  present  it  to  the 
House  of  Lords.  Indeed  in  this  year  the  agitation  for 
the  removal  of  Jewish  disabilities  in  England  was  for 
the  first  time  placed  on  a  firm  basis.  The  Dejmtados 
became  the  soul  of  the  agitation,  and  Mr.  Montefiore  the 
soul  of  the  Dejputados. 


44  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Two  years  later  Mr.  Montefiore  solved  one  of  the 
Disability  problems  in  his  own  person,  by  purchasing 
the  small  East  Cliff  estate,  near  Ramsgate,  notwith- 
standing that  many  eminent  legal  authorities  still  con- 
sidered that  the  Jews  could  not  lawfully  possess  real 
estate  in  England.  It  is  true  that  in  1818  Sir  Samuel 
Eomilly  had  held  that  Jews  born  in  England  were  as 
much  entitled  to  own  land  as  any  other  natives,  at 
the  same  time  pointing  out  that  no  one  had  ever  ob- 
jected to  a  title  on  the  ground  that  the  owner  was  a 
Jew  ;  nevertheless,  down  to  the  removal  of  all  disabili- 
ties in  1853,  this  point  was  still  doubted  under  the  statutes 
or  ordinances  of  the  54th  and  55th  Henry  III.  (c.e. 
1269),  wliich  declared  that  no  Jew  should  hold  a  free- 
hold, and  it  was  never  definitely  settled. 

East  Cliff  Lodge  is  a  charming  marine  villa,  in  the 
Strawberry  Hill  or  modern  Gothic  style.  It  consists  of 
a  centre  and  two  wings,  with  the  summit  embattled,  and 
each  wing  surmounted  by  an  ornamental  turret  and 
spire.  The  dining-room,  pronounced  by  local  guide- 
books "  the  most  elegant  specimen  of  Gothic  domestic 
architecture  in  England,"  is  a  noble  apartment,  having 
a  screen  of  columns  at  the  lower  end,  and  opening  from 
a  vestibule  by  folding  doors  curiously  wrought.  The 
grounds,  which  cover  about  thirteen  acres,  and  extend 
to  the  verge  of  the  cliff,  are  laid  out  with  great  taste  and 
judgment.  Their  principal  attractions  are  two  sub- 
terranean caverns,  reputed  to  be  the  work  of  smugglers, 
which  lead  from  the  summit  of  the  cliff  by  a  gradual 
descent,  500  yards  long,  to  the  beach  below.  One 
cavern  diverges  in  an  easterly,  the  other  in  a  westerly 
direction.  Both  are  lighted  by  a  series  of  arched  re- 
cesses, excavated  out  of    the  soHd   chalk,  and  which, 


b 

^M 

■ 

» 

|lii!i 

...... 

Hi 

4 

'^^ 

L 

:  ■  ^!AjS 

Early  Communal  Labors.  45 

carpeted  with  turf  and  covered  witli  shrubs  and  flowers, 
present  a  very  gay  appearance  during  the  summer  sea- 
son. The  house  was  built  about  1795  by  Mr.  Benjamin 
Bond  Hopkins,  who  disposed  of  it  to  Yiscount  Keith, 
better  known  as  Lord  Elphinstone.  It  then  became  the 
property  of  the  Marquis  Wellesley,  brother  of  the  Duke 
of  WeUington.  At  one  time  it  was  the  favorite  sum- 
mer residence  of  Queen  Carohne,  when  Princess  of 
Wales.  Mr.  Montefiore  rented  East  Cliff  Lodge  for 
some  years  before  he  purchased  it.  One  of  the  first 
uses  to  which  he  put  the  land  when  it  became  his  own 
was  the  building  of  a  synagogue,  which  he  opened  to  all 
comers.  The  foundation-  stone  was  laid  in  1831,  and  the 
biulding  was  consecrated  in  1833.  Soon  after  he  had 
thus  permanently  taken  up  his  abode  in  Kent  he  was 
appointed  a  Deputy  Lieutenant  for  the  county. 


46  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   JEWS    OF    ENGLAND    (750-1837). 

Early  History. — Position  in  the  Country  Previous  to  the  Expulsion. 
Jewisli  Learning. — Jewish  Heroism. — Siatutum  de  Judaismo. — 
Expulsion  by  Edward  I. — Legend  of  London  Bridge. — Secret 
Visits  to  England. — Return  under  Cromwell. —  Denied  Civil 
Rights. — Disabilities  in  1828. — Mr.  Montefiore  Devotes  himself 
to  the  Emancipation  Struggle. — Early  History  of  the  Movement 
not  Encouraging. — The  "Jew  Bill"  of  1753. — Mr.  Montefiore 
and  the  Repeal  of  the  Test  and  Corporation  Acts. — Interviews 
with  the  Duke  of  Sussex.— Agitation  from  1830  to  1837.— Mr. 
Montefiore  becomes  President  of  the  Board  of  Deputies. — Sheriff 
of  London. — Knighted. — Queen  Victoria  and  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore.— Capital  Punishment. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Marshal 
Soult. — Sir  Moses  turns  his  Attention  to  his  Foreign  Brethren. 

At  what  period  tlie  earliest  Jewish  settlement  took 
place  in  England  is  one  of  those  difficult  historical 
questions  of  which  nothing  more  certain  is  known  than 
that  it  is  "  involved  in  obscurity."  A  copyist's  error  in 
the  Pesihtha  Rdbbathi,  by  which  "Mauritania"  was 
transformed  into  "  Britannia,"  has  suggested  that  the 
Jews  were  already  acquainted  with  Britain  in  the 
Talmudic  age.  It  has  also  been  surmised  that  Hebrew 
supercargoes  accompanied  the  Phoenician  mariners  who 
traded  with  the  Cimbri  and  Damnonii  of  Cornwall 
before  the  Roman  invasion.  The  first  mention  of  Jews 
in  any  document  connected  with  English  history  is  in 
the  canons  of  Ecbright,  Archbishop    of   York,  which 


The  Jews  of  England  (750-1837).  47 

contain  an  ordinance  that  "  no  Christian  shall  Judaize 
or  presume  to  eat  with  a  Jew."  These  canons  were 
issued  in  the  year  750. 

After  the  ]^orman  Conquest  the  Jews  of  England 
became  numerous  and  wealthy.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
imagine,  with  Professor  Goldwin  Smith,  that  they  vol- 
untarily "  streamed "  into  the  country  as  rapacious 
camp  followers  of  the  Conqueror.  The  truth  is  they 
were  brought  over  here  by  "William,  with  the  deliberate 
design  of  their  acting  as  engines  of  indirect  taxation. 
"  The  Jews,"  says  William  of  ISTewburgh,  "  are  the 
Koyal  usurers,"  and  it  was  in  this  capacity  that  they 
were  domiciled  in  England.  How  they  had  become 
forced  into  this  position  is  a  melancholy  story.  Excluded 
from  markets  and  trade  guilds,  prohibited  from  dealing 
in  wines  and  cereals,  forbidden  to  employ  slaves  at  a 
time  when  all  manufacturing  industry  was  conducted 
by  serf -labor,  no  means  of  earning  their  bread  remained 
to  them  but  usury.  The  Church  smoothed  their  way 
to  this  occupation,  by  prohibiting  Christians  (on  the 
strength  of  the  passage,  Luke  vi.  35)  from  taking  inter- 
est of  any  kind  on  loans.  Amid  the  universal  want  of 
ready  money  occasioned  by  the  constant  decrease  in  the 
stock  of  gold  and  silver,  and  the  absence  of  any  substi- 
tute for  the  precious  metals,  borrowing  became  a  neces- 
sity with  all  classes,  and  the  Jews,  who  had  acquired 
considerable  wealth  by  trading,  were  thus  forced  to  lend. 
High  interest  increased  their  riches ;  and  the  English 
kings,  whose  taxing  power  was  greatly  crippled  by  the 
freedom  of  the  barons,  consequently  submitted  them  to 
crushing  imposts.  To  enable  them  thus  to  make  good 
the  deficiencies  in  the  revenue,  they  were  specially  taken 
into  the  Royal  protection,  and  their  rates  of  interest — 


48  The  lAfe  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

once  as  high  as  86|  per  cent — were  sanctioned  by  Royal 
decree. 

It  is  not  surprising  that,  under  these  circumstances, 
the  Jews  became  hateful  to  the  nation  ;  but  Mr.  Free- 
man's picture  of  them,  "stalking  defiantly  among  the 
people  of  the  land,"  is  purely  an  effort  of  fancy.  In 
their  learning  and  their  heroic  fidelity  to  their  religion, 
we  have  abundant  evidence  of  their  good  sense.  Jews 
taught  geometry,  logic,  and  philosophy  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford,  and  Jewish  schools  or  colleges  were 
estabhshed  in  London,  York,  Lincoln,  Oxford,  Cam- 
bridge, and  Warwick.  Thither  flocked  Jew  and  Gentile 
to  hear  distinguished  Rabbis  expound  the  principles  of 
arithmetic,  Hebrew,  Arabic,  and  medicine.  The  cele- 
brated Ibn-Ezra  visited  England  in  1159,  and  dehvered 
lectures  in  London.  During  his  stay  he  wrote  his 
religio-philosophical  work  Jesod  Mora.  Among  other 
learned  Jews  who  lived  in  England  before  the  expulsion 
were  Rabbi  Jacob,  of  Orleans,  who  taught  in  London, 
and  Rabbi  Benjamin,  of  Canterbury,  both  pupils  of 
Rabbi  Jacob  Tam,  the  famous  Tossafist,  and  grandson 
of  Rashi.  The  fidelity  of  the  Jews  to  their  religion  was 
illustrated  by  a  thousand  martyr  deaths,  but  by  nothing 
more  gloriously  than  their  beleaguerment  in  York  Cas- 
tle, when  five  hundred  destroyed  themselves  rather 
than  apostatize.  It  is  impossible  to  read  Isaac  d'Israeli's 
vivid  sketch  of  this  "  scene  of  heroic  exertion"  without 
feeling  that  to  portray  these  men  as  the  grasping  and 
arrogant  bullies  depicted  to  us  in  Mr.  Freeman's  pages 
is  little  less  than  a  calumny. 

Massacres  of  Jews  were,  as  a  rule,  sternly  punished 
by  the  English  kings,  who  could  ill  afford  to  have  their 
"chattels"  injured.     When,  however,  exorbitant  taxes 


The  Jews  of  England  (Y50-183Y).  49 

could  no  longer  be  squeezed  from  tliem,  they  were  ruth- 
lessly abandoned  to  the  fury  of  the  populace.  The 
competition  of  the  Caorsini,  who  disguised  their  usury 
in  commissions  and  expenses,  first  reduced  their  value 
in  the  eyes  of  the  King.  The  Government  tried  to  ex- 
pel the  new-comers,  but  in  vain ;  they  were  the  servants 
of  the  Pope,  and  no  one  dared  touch  them.  "With  the 
gradual  relaxation  of  the  Koyal  interest  in  the  Jews, 
the  clergy  grew  bolder  in  denouncing  them  as  heretics. 
The  public  mind  became  inflamed ;  and  to  gain  popu- 
larity Edward  I.  passed  the  statute  De  Judaismo,  which, 
among  other  restrictions,  prohibited  the  Jews  from 
practising  the  usury  they  had  already  been  compelled, 
to  the  King's  great  grief,  to  abandon.  Their  expulsion 
from  the  country,  amid  horrible  cruelties,  soon  followed. 

The  Jews  carried  with  them  into  exile  the  remem- 
brance of  many  an  outrage  that  marked  their  exodus 
from  Britain.  Of  one  they  preserved  the  tradition 
through  no  less  than  five  centuries.  A  number  of  Jews 
were  barbarously  drowned  in  the  Thames,  close  by 
where  Loudon  Bridge  now  stands.  When  the  old  bridge 
was  in  existence  the  fall  of  the  waters  at  ebb  tide  caused 
a  disturbance  under  one  of  the  arches  ;  and  this,  as  late 
as  eighty  years  ago,  the  Jewish  gossips  firmly  believed 
was  occasioned  by  the  wrath  of  the  Deity  at  the  horrible 
crime  committed  there  in  the  year  1290. 

It  is  generally  assumed  that  from  this  date  until  the 
Protectorate  there  were  no  Jews  in  England.  Indeed, 
Mr.  J.  E.  Green  goes  so  far  as  to  assert  that  "  from  the 
time  of  Edward  to  that  of  Cromwell  no  Jew  touched 
English  ground."  Kecent  rcseai'ches  have  proved,  how- 
ever, that  in  spite  of  proscription,  Hebrews  frequently 
visited  these  shores.  The  House  of  Converts,  near 
3 


50  The  Life  of  /Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Chancery  Lane,  received  Jews  continuously  from  the 
thirteentli  to  the  eighteenth  centuries  ;  and  the  files  of 
accounts  preserved  in  the  Record  Ofiice  show  that  as 
many  as  seventy-two  Jews  resided  within  its  walls  dur- 
ing the  early  years  of  Edward  III.'s  reign.  In  the  State 
papers  relating  to  the  marriage  of  Katherine  of  Aragon 
with  Arthur,  Prince  of  Wales,  we  are  told  that  Henry 
yil.  had  a  long  interview  with  a  Spanish  envoy  to  dis- 
cuss the  presence  of  Jews  in  England.  Roderigo  Lopes, 
acknowledged  to  be  a  Jew,  was  Physician  to  Queen 
Elizabeth.  The  great  legal  luminaries,  Littleton  and 
Coke,  both  inveigh  against  the  Jews  with  a  vigor  inex- 
plicable, excejDt  on  the  hypothesis  that  members  of  the 
proscribed  race  were  resident  in  England.  It  was  not, 
however,  imtil  the  time  of  Cromwell  that  Jews  took  up 
their  abode  in  the  land  in  any  number.  No  actual  revo- 
cation of  the  edict  of  expulsion  seems  to  have  taken  place, 
but  that  some  sort  of  permission  to  return  was  granted 
them  it  is  impossible  to  doubt.  In  1657  they  considered 
their  position  sufficiently  secure  to  justify  tliem  in  pur- 
chasing a  burial-ground ;  and  Cromwell's  views  on  their 
readmission  are  put  beyond  all  doubt,  by  the  fact  that 
he  granted  Menasseh  ben  Israel,  the  Jewish  advocate,  a 
pension  of  £100  a  year. 

Until  the  year  1829,  when  the  Test  and  Corporation 
Acts  were  appealed,  it  was  held  by  legal  authorities 
that  Jews  in  England  had  no  civil  rights ;  and  even  as 
late  as  1846  the  Act  De  Judaismo  was  formally  on  the 
Statute  Book.  In  1673  the  Jews  were  indicted  for 
worshipping  in  public  in  their  synagogues ;  and  in  1685 
thirty-seven  of  their  merchants  were  suddenly  arrested 
in  the  Royal  Exchange,  under  the  statute  23  of  Eliza- 
beth, for  not  attending  any  church.     Two  years  earlier 


The  Jews  of  England  (750-1837).  51 

it  had  been  argued  before  the  King's  Bencb  by  the 
Attorney-General,  in  the  case  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany V.  Sand,  that  all  Jews  in  England  were  under  an 
implied  license,  which  the  King  might  revoke,  the  effect 
of  doing  which  would  be  that  they  would  then  become 
aliens.  Even  as  great  a  judge  as  Lord  Hardwicke  held, 
in  IT-M,  that  a  bequest  for  the  maintenance  of  a  Syna- 
gogue was  void,  because  the  Jewish  rehgion  was  not 
tolerated  in  England,  but  only  connived  at  by  the  Legis- 
lature. This  decision  was  accepted  as  a  precedent  in 
1786  by  Lord  Thurlow,  and  again  in  1818  by  Lord 
Eldon.  In  1828,  when  Moses  Montefiore  set  in  motion 
the  struggle  for  Jewish  emancipation,  the  English  Jews, 
according  to  "  Tomlin's  Law  Dictionary,"  still  labored 
under  serious  disabilities.  "  A  Jew,"  we  are  told,  "  is 
prevented  from  sitting  in  Parliament,  holding  any  office, 
civil  or  mihtary,  under  the  Crown,  or  any  situation  in 
corporate  bodies.  He  may  be  excluded  from  practising 
at  the  bar,  or  as  an  attorney,  proctor,  or  notary,  from 
voting  at  elections,  from  enjoying  any  exhibition  in 
either  university,  or  from  holding  some  offices  of 
inferior  importance." 

When  Mr.  Montefiore  joined  the  Deputados  of  Bevis 
Marks,  the  question  of  Jewish  Emancipation  had  already 
a  Parliamentary  history.  It  had  not,  however,  been  en- 
couraging. Certainly  in  1723  a  sHght  concession  had 
been  made  in  respect  to  the  oath  of  abjuration,  and  in 
1740  an  impracticable  Naturalization  Act  had  been 
passed  for  the  Colonies ;  but  the  attempt  of  Mr.  Pelham 
in  1753  to  carry  into  effect  a  wider  scheme  of  Jewish 
Emancipation  for  the  home  country  had  produced  such 
an  uproar,  that,  for  nearly  a  century  after,  the  bulk  of 
the  English  Israelites  shrunk  from  pubUcly  agitating 


62  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

for  their  rights.  Mr.  Pelham's  Act,  historically  known 
as  "  The  Jew  Bill,"  was  at  first  passed  by  both  Houses 
and  received  the  Royal  assent,  but  it  only  lived  for  a 
few  months.  An  alarm  for  the  Church  and  for  religion 
spread  through  the  land.  It  was  proclaimed  from 
countless  pulpits  that  if  the  Jews  were  naturalized  in 
Britain  the  country  became  liable  to  the  curses  pro- 
nounced by  prophecy  against  Jerusalem  and  the  Holy 
Land.  Every  dead  wall  in  the  kingdom  exhibited  in 
varied     thography  the  couplet, 

"  No  Jews, 
No  wooden  shoes," 

Mr.  Sydenham  voted  for  the  measure  and  lost  his  seat 
for  Exeter  in  consequence.  A  respectable  clergyman 
named  Tucker,  who  wrote  a  defence  of  the  Jews,  was 
maltreated  by  the  populace.  The  Bishop  of  ^Norwich, 
who  supported  the  Bill,  was  insulted  on  his  ensuing 
confirmation  circuit.  At  Ipswich  the  boys  called  upon 
his  lordship  "  to  come  and  circumcise  them,"  and  a 
paper  was  affixed  to  one  of  the  church  doors  to  state 
that  "  next  day,  being  Saturday,  his  lordship  would 
confirm  the  Jews,  and  on  the  day  following  the  Chris- 
tians." To  such  a  pitch  rose  the  popular  excitement 
that  the  Ministers  beat  a  hasty  and  ignominious  retreat. 
On  the  very  first  day  of  the  next  session  the  Duke  of 
Newcastle  brought  in  a  Bill  to  repeal  the  previous  mea- 
sure, and  it  was  rapidly  carried  through  both  Houses. 
The  incident  elicited  a  stinging  commentary  from  Horace 
Walpole.  "  The  populace,"  he  wrote,  "  grew  suddenly 
so  zealous  for  the  honor  of  the  prophecies  that  foretold 
calamity  and  eternal  depression  to  the  Jews,  that  they 
seemed  to  fear  lest  the  completion  of  them  should  be 


The  Jews  of  England  (Y50-183Y).  53 

defeated  by  Act  of  Parliament.  The  little  curates 
preached  against  the  Bishops  for  deserting  the  interests 
of  the  Gospel ;  and  aldermen  grew  drunk  at  county  clubs 
in  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  they  had  used  to  do  for 
the  sake  of  King  James.  A  cabal  of  ministers,  who 
had  insulted  their  master  with  impunity,  who  had  be- 
trayed every  ally  and  party  with  success,  and  who  had 
crammed  down  every  Bill  that  was  calculated  for  their 
own  favor,  yielded  to  transitory  noise,  and  submitted  to 
fight  under  the  banners  of  prophecy  in  order  to  carry  a 
few  more  seats  in  another  Parliament." 

The  remembrance  of  the  intolerant  spirit  displayed 
by  the  English  people  on  this  occasion,  rendered  the 
Jews  for  many  years  exceedingly  anxious  to  avoid  any- 
thing that  might  direct  public  attention  to  them  as  a 
body.  The  repeal  of  the  Test  and  Corporation  Acts  in 
1828,  however,  aroused  their  hopes,  and  Mr.  Montefiore, 
on  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Deputies,  with  the  assistance 
outside  of  IVIr.  !N".  M.  Eothschild  and  Mr.,  afterwards 
Sir  Isaac  Lyon  Goldsmid,  endeavored  to  obtain  a  re- 
moval of  the  disqualifications  pressing  upon  Jews.  Mr. 
Montefiore  had  several  interviews  on  the  subject  with  the 
Duke  of  Sussex,  whose  sympathy  with  the  Jews  had  been 
already  evinced  in  many  substantial  ways,  and  obtained 
from  him  a  promise  of  his  interest  and  support.  The 
Premier,  however,  was  unfavorable  to  any  concession, 
on  the  ground  that  it  was  inexpedient  so  soon  after  the 
passing  of  the  Catholic  Rehef  Bill  to  excite  the  feelings 
of  the  country  by  another  measure  of  the  same  descrip- 
tion. The  movement  consequently  fell  to  the  ground. 
Not  for  long,  however.  In  January,  1830,  a  petition 
to  Parliament  was  prepared  and  a  deputation  from  the 
Board  of  Deputies  waited  upon  the  Duke  of  Sussex,  who 


54:  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

again  promised  his  support.  A  host  of  petitions  from 
Jews  and  non-Jews  all  over  the  country  poured  into  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  on  the  5th  of  April  Mr,  Rob- 
ert Grant  moved  for  leave  to  bring  in  a  Bill  for  the  Re- 
peal of  the  Civil  Disabilities  of  the  Jews.  Mr.  Monte- 
fiore and  his  brother  Deputies  were  indefatigable  in 
their  efforts  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  on  Parliament  to 
pass  the  Bill.  A  committee  of  their  body  sat  daily  be- 
tween ten  and  four  o'clock  at  the  King's  Head  in  the 
Poultry,  and  incurred  expenses  amounting  to  little  less 
than  £1000.  iN'evertheless,  on  the  second  reading  of 
the  BiU,  on  the  23d  May,  it  was  thrown  out  by  228 
noes  against  165  ayes.  Three  years  later  another  effort 
was  made  and  with  better  success.  The  Commons 
passed  Mr.  Grant's  Bill,  but  in  the  Lords  it  was  thrown 
out.  Year  by  year,  for  four  years  more,  the  campaign 
was  prosecuted  with  unwearying  zeal,  Mr.  Montefiore  in 
the  mean  time  becoming  the  leader  of  the  movement  by 
his  election  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Board  of  Deputies 
in  succession  to  his  uncle,  Mr.  Moses  Mocatta.  Each 
year,  however,  the  Lords  proved  obdurate,  and  a  pause 
in  the  struggle  took  place. 

The  agitation  so  far  had  not  been  altogether  without 
profit  to  the  Jews.  Mr.  David  Salomons  had  opened 
the  shrievalty  to  his  co-religionists  in  1835,  and  a  bill  to 
enable  him  to  serve  passed  through  Parhament  without 
opjDOsition.  Mr.  Montefiore  took  advantage  of  the  Act 
to  become  a  candidate  for  the  same  office  in  183Y,  and 
was  elected.  Early  in  the  year  he  headed  two  deputa- 
tions— one  from  the  Board  of  Deputies,  and  the  other 
from  the  town  of  Ramsgate — to  congratulate  the  young 
Queen  on  her  accession.  When  Her  Majesty  subse- 
quently entered  the  City  of  London  on  Lord  Mayor's 


The  Jews  of  England  (750-1837).  55 

day,  tlie  honor  of  kniglitliood  was  conferred  on  the  new 
Sheriff  as  well  as  on  the  Lord  Mayor,  the  famous  Mr. 
Alderman  Wood,  father  of  Lord  Hatherley.  These 
were  not  the  first  occasions  on  which  Sir  Moses  had  met 
Queen  Victoria.  In  1834,  when  the  Duchess  of  Kent 
and  her  daughter  were  residing  at  Townley  House, 
Ramsgate,  they  frequently  rambled  through  the  pictu- 
resque grounds  of  East  CHff  Lodge,  and  Mr.  Montefiore 
courteously  provided  them  with  a  special  key  to  his  pri- 
vate gate.  On  his  first  visit  to  court  he  was  graciously 
reminded  of  his  hospitahty.  "  TVe  always  remember  with 
pleasure  the  happy  days  we  spent  at  Eamsgate,"  cor- 
dially added  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  who  was  standing 
by  the  throne. 

With  another  member  of  the  royal  family  Sir  Moses 
had  also  estabHshed  intimate  relations;  this  was  the 
Duke  of  Sussex,  uncle  to  the  Queen.  His  Eoyal  High- 
ness had  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  Jews.  He  was  a 
patron  of  their  hospital,  and  presided  at  its  anniversary 
dinners.  A  diligent  student  of  the  Hebrew  language,  and 
Jewish  history  and  literature,  he  also  actively  assisted  in 
the  movement  for  Jewish  emancipation.  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  was  the  first  conforming  Jew  to  receive  the 
honor  of  knighthood,  and  the  Duke  rightly  interpreted 
the  circumstance  as  indicating  the  failure  of  anti-Jewish 
prejudice.  He  took  no  pains  to  hide  his  satisfaction. 
When  the  ceremony  of  investiture  was  performed  he  was 
present,  and  at  its  conclusion  he  seized  Sir  Moses'  hand, 
and  heartily  shaking  it  exclaimed,  "  This  is  one  of  the 
things  I  have  worked  for  all  my  life !" 

The  year  of  office  Sir  Moses  served  as  sheriff  was 
distinguished  by  the  large  collections  made  for  the  City 
charities,  and  by  the  complete  absence  of  capital  punish- 


56  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

ment.  The  latter  circumstance  is  a  source  of  great  pride 
to  Sir  Moses.  There  was  certainly  one  criminal  con- 
demned to  deatli,  but  with  the  assistance  of  a  lady  highly 
placed,  a  reiDneve  was  obtained.  Sir  Moses,  at  that 
period,  found  few  to  sympathize  with  him  in  his  hu- 
mane dislike  of  the  death  punishment.  His  representa- 
tions on  the  subject  to  Lord  John  Russell  were  coldly 
received,  and  when,  while  showing  Marshal  Soult  over 
Newgate,  he  expressed  his  opinions  on  the  subject  to 
that  inflexible  disciplinarian,  they  evoked  only  an  aston- 
ished stare. 

Dm-ing  the  same  year  he  continued  indefatigably  to 
discharge  his  duties  as  President  of  the  Board  of  Depu- 
ties. He  began  now,  however,  to  turn  his  attention 
more  towards  the  foreign  Jews,  whose  oppressed  condi- 
tion had  attracted  his  sympathies  ten  years  before.  The 
emancipation  struggle  was  safe  in  other  hands,  and  he 
felt  he  could  now  leave  it.  His  brother-in-law,  David 
Salomons,  his  nephew,  Lionel  de  Rothschild,  his  rela- 
tives, Isaac  Lyon  Goldsmid  and  Francis  Goldsmid,  were 
all  prepared  to  invade  the  precincts  of  Parliament  itself 
in  the  interests  of  Jewish  emancipation  ;  but  for  so 
pubhc  a  struggle  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  had  no  ambi- 
tion. 


Second  Visit  to  the  Holy  Lcmd.  67 


CHAPTER  YI. 

SECOND  VISIT  TO  THE   HOLY   LAND. 

Jews  and  Agriculture. — Mr.  Cobbett's  Taunt.— Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore  Determines  to  Introduce  Agriculture  among  the  Jews  of 
the  Holy  Land. — Journey  to  the  East  for  tliat  Purpose. — Inves- 
tigates the  Condition  of  European  Communities  on  his  Route. 
— Brussels.  —  Aix-la-Chapelle. —  Strasbourg. —  Avignon. —  Mar- 
seilles.— Nice. —  Genoa. — Florence. — Papal  States. — Disabilities 
of  the  Jews  of  Rome. — Lady  Montefiore  Expresses  her  Indigna- 
tion to  a  Papal  Monsignore. — Dr.  Loewe. — The  Eastern  Ques- 
tion.— Arrival  at  Beyrout. — Progress  through  Palestine. — Enthu- 
siastic Receptions. — Safed. —  Tiberias.  —  Jerusalem. — Sir  Moses 
makes  Inquiries  into  the  Condition  of  the  Jews. — Distributes 
Money. — Back  to  Alexandria. — Interview  with  Mehemet  Ali,  who 
Promises  to  Assist  his  Plans. — Return  to  England. — Changes  in 
Eastern  Politics. — Defeat  of  Sir  Moses'  Plans. 

A  Arm  the  engrossiDg  labors  of  the  Disability  agitation, 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore  had  still  found  time  to  commu- 
nicate occasionally  with  foreign  Jewish  communities. 
Distress,  however  remote,  never  failed  to  attract  his 
attention,  or  to  elicit  from  him  sympathetic  and  sub- 
stantial assistance.  The  interest  he  evinced  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  oppressed  brethren  spread  his  fame  far  and 
wide  among  them.  Dr.  Wolff,  the  well-known  mission- 
ary, found,  already  in  1834,  that  his  name  was  known 
to  the  Jews  of  Bokhara,  Samarcand,  Balkh,  Khokand, 
and  Herat. 

Several  circumstances  now  combined  to  determine 
him  to  a  more  active  and  systematic  treatment  of  the 


SS  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

various  problems  raised  by  the  appeals  addressed  to  him 
from  abroad.  !N^ot  only  was  he  enabled  by  the  lull  in 
home  affairs  to  give  these  problems  more  attention  than 
formerly,  but  he  had  convinced  himself  that  it  was  of 
greater  importance  to  the  honor  and  fair  fame  of  Juda- 
ism that  the  Jewish  character,  as  exemplified  by  the 
great  mass  of  his  foreign  brethren,  should  be  assisted 
to  rehabilitate  itseK,  than  that  every  effort  should  be 
concentrated  on  one  or  two  agitations  for  the  repeal  of 
local  disabihties.  Mr.  Cobbett's  taunt  that  "  the  Israelite 
is  never  seen  to  take  a  spade  in  his  hand,  but  waits  like 
the  voracious  slug  to  devour  what  has  been  produced  by 
labor  in  which  he  has  no  share,"  had  sunk  deep  in  his 
heart,  and  he  resolved  to  seize  an  early  opportunity  of 
assisting  the  more  downtrodden  communities  of  his  co- 
religionists, to  improve  their  condition  by  agricultural 
and  industrial  labor.  He  selected  the  Jews  of  Palestine 
for  his  first  experiment  in  this  direction.  His  choice  of 
these  communities  was  determined  partly  by  the  fact, 
that  the  Holy  Land  had  a  special  attraction  for  him, 
and  partly  because  he  had  reason  to  hope  that  his  influ- 
ence with  Mehemet  Ah,  then  lord  of  Syria,  would 
enable  him  to  obtain  a  fair  field  for  his  operations. 

Accompanied  by  his  devoted  spouse,  he  started  on 
his  second  voyage  to  the  Holy  Land  on  the  1st  Novem- 
ber, 1838.  The  journey  was  not  a  direct  one,  as  the 
travellers  were  desirous  of  inquiring  into  the  political 
and  social  condition  of  the  Jewish  communities  of  the 
Continent.  To  this  task  they  devoted  close  upon  seven 
months. 

In  Lady  Montefiore's  private  journal  *  many  interest- 

*  Privately  printed  in  1844. 


Second  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land.  59 

ing  particulars  are  preserved  concerning  the  Continen- 
tal Jews  at  this  period.  Tlieir  condition  was  not  alto- 
gether unsatisfactory,  although  the  sun  of  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty  had  not  yet  dawned.  At  Brussels  the 
travellers  found  a  community  of  about  eighty  families, 
possessing  a  neat  little  synagogue,  in  which  sermons  in 
German  were  delivered  weekly.  At  Aix-la-Chapelle 
the  community,  though  very  poor,  were  erecting  a  new 
synagogue,  towards  the  expense  of  which  the  travellers 
contributed.  At  Strasbourg  ritual  reforms  had  already 
been  introduced  ;  but  at  Avignon,  once  the  home  of  so 
many  learned  Rabbis,  there  were  no  regular  rehgious  ser- 
vices, and  no  means  of  obtaining  Kosher  food.  Marseilles 
had  some  excellent  communal  schools,  in  which  Hebrew, 
French,  and  Latin  were  efficiently  taught ;  but  in  Nice, 
then  a  town  of  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia,  the  Jews  were 
so  oppressed,  that  the  Chacham  told  Sir  Moses  it  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  he  retained  his  position 
in  the  community.  ^Notwithstanding  the  disabilities  to 
which  they  were  subjected,  the  Jews  had,  with  touching 
loyalty,  erected  a  handsome  monument,  with  a  Hebrew 
inscription,  commemorating  the  visit  of  the  Eang  Charles 
Felix  to  the  town. 

Skirting  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  in  their 
travelling  coach-and-six,  the  Montefiores  arrived  on  the 
3d  of  January  at  Genoa,  where  they  attended  the  ancient 
Synagogue,  and  relieved  the  poor,  principally  immi- 
grants from  !N^orthern  Africa.  The  community  they 
found  in  a  very  impoverished  state.  Proceeding  to 
Florence,  where  there  was  a  Jewish  population  of  3000, 
they  met  with  the  first  indications  in  Italy  of  a  liberal 
policy  towards  the  Jews.  The  Tuscan  Government, 
although  maintaining  many  of  the  old  restrictions,  had 


60  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

recently  given  its  Hebrew  subjects  considerable  freedom 
in  commercial  matters.  They  were  allowed,  inter  alia^ 
to  farm  the  tobacco  revenues ;  and  many  of  them  were 
extremely  well  of.  In  the  Papal  States,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  old  mediaeval  regulations  were  maintained. 
"How  painful,"  exclaims  Lady  Montefiore,  in  her 
diary,  "  it  is  to  find  our  people  under  so  many  disadvan- 
tages here  (Rome) !  Three  thousand  five  hundred  souls 
are  obliged  to  maintain  themselves  by  shops,  and  in  a 
confined  part  of  the  city.  Arts,  sciences,  mechanism, 
are  prohibited.  Four  times  in  the  year  two  hundred 
are  obliged  to  attend  a  sermon  for  their  conversion.  It 
is  said  that  no  proselytes  are  made,  except  occasionally 
from  among  the  most  destitute.  Leo  XII.  deprived 
them  of  the  privilege  granted  by  Pius  YII.  of  keeping 
shops  out  of  the  Ghetto."  Lady  Montefiore  did  not 
confine  the  expression  of  her  feelings  on  this  subject  to 
the  privacy  of  her  diary.  While  entertaining  a  Papal 
Monsignore,  she  tells  us,  "  I  did  not  conceal  from  him 
the  indignation  with  which  I  should  be  animated  at 
finding  myself  denied  all  opportunity  of  acquiring  dis- 
tinction by  the  free  and  honorable  exertion  of  such 
ability  as  might  be  conferred  upon  me  by  the  Author  of 
my  being." 

It  was  during  this  visit  to  Rome  that  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  first  encountered  Dr.  Louis  Loewe,  a  Jewish 
scholar,  who  for  close  upon  half  a  century  has  acted  as 
the  benevolent  Hebrew's  lieutenant  in  all  his  philan- 
thropic enterprises.  An  accomplished  linguist  and  earn- 
est Israelite,  Dr.  Loewe  was  well  fitted  for  duties,  the 
adequate  discharge  of  which  required  a  wide  acquaintance 
with  foreign  languages  almost  as  much  as  a  good  Jewish 
heart.     Dr.  Loewe  had  already  obtained  considerable 


Second  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land.  61 

reputation  as  a  linguist,  and  while  in  England  liad  en- 
joyed the  patronage  of  the  Duke  of  Sussex.  He  had 
travelled  extensively  in  Ethiopia,  Syria,  Palestine,  Tur- 
key, Asia  Minor,  and  Greece.  Arabic  literature  he  had 
read  with  Sheik  Mohammad  Ayad  Ettantavy ;  Persian 
he  had  studied  under  Sheik  Refa;  and  Coptic  he  had 
learnt  of  a  Coptic  priest.  His  career  had  been  an  ad- 
venturous one,  and  now,  on  his  return  from  an  Eastern 
tour,  he  was  prosecuting  literary  researches  in  the  Vati- 
can library,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Cardinals  Mezzo- 
fanti,  Angelo  Mai,  and  Lambruschini.  Dr.  Loewe 
sjjent  Passover  with  the  Montefiores  at  Pome,  and  read 
and  expounded  to  them  the  Passover  service.  He  sub- 
sequently accepted  an  invitation  to  accompany  them  to 
the  Holy  Land. 

The  Mediterranean  was  no  longer  infested  with  the 
pirates  who,  on  the  previous  journey,  had  been  so 
serious  a  source  of  anxiety ;  but  the  eternal  Eastern 
Question,  in  another  of  its  protean  shapes,  still  rendered 
the  dominions  of  the  Padishah  unsafe  for  European 
travellers.  Shortly*before  leaving  Pome  a  private  mes- 
sage was  conveyed  to  Lady  Montefiore  from  the  Baron- 
ess James  de  Pothschild  at  Naples,  informing  her  that 
there  was  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  Sultan  was 
about  to  make  an  effort  to  recover  Syria  from  Mehemet 
Ali,  by  force  of  arms,  and  advising  her  to  persuade  her 
husband  not  to  pursue  his  projected  tour.  Sir  Moses 
was  deeply  concerned  at  this  intelligence,  calculated  as 
it  was  to  defeat  his  cherished  plans ;  but  he  buoyed  him- 
self up  with  the  hope  that  he  might  effect  the  object  of 
his  mission  before  the  actual  outbreak  of  hostilities,  and 
he  adhered  to  his  determination  to  proceed.  No  sooner 
had  he  arrived  at  Malta,  however,  than  he  was  met  by 


62  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

other  and  more  serious  objections.  The  plague  had 
broken  out  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  gates  of  Jerusalem 
were  closed;  the  country  was  stated  to  be  infested  with 
brigands;  and  the  heat  of  a  Syrian  summer,  he  was 
warned,  would  severely  try  a  European  constitution. 
Sir  Moses  was  still  not  to  be  dissuaded  from  his  enter- 
prise, but  he  began  to  feel  considerable  anxiety  on  his 
wife's  score.  He  suggested  to  her  that  he  should  pro- 
ceed alone.  "  This  I  peremptorily  resisted,"  writes 
Lady  Montefiore,  "  and  the  expression  of  Ruth  furnished 
my  heart  at  the  moment  with  the  language  it  most 
desired  to  use :  '  Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  or  to 
return  from  following  after  thee;  for  whither  thou 
goest  I  will  go,  and  where  thou  lodgest  I  M'ill  lodge.'  " 
Two  days  later  the  attached  couple  embarked  in  the 
English  steamer  Ilegara,  and  within  a  week  they  cast 
anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Beyrout. 

The  journey  through  the  Holy  Land  resembled 
almost  a  royal  progress.  As  the  friend  of  Mehemet 
Ali,  Sir  Moses  was  received  by  the  authorities  with  dis- 
tinction ;  as  a  benevolent  and  wealthy  Israelite,  desirous 
of  seeing  Palestine  prosper,  he  was  welcomed  by  the 
poverty-stricken  inhabitants  with  enthusiasm.  Immedi- 
ately on  his  arrival  at  Beyrout,  the  Governor  waited 
upon  him,  and  begged  him  to  take  up  his  quarters  in  his 
own  house.  The  following  day  a  numerous  congrega- 
tion assembled  in  the  Synagogue  and  offered  up  special 
prayers  for  the  safe  accomplishment  of  his  undertaking. 
At  Safed,  where  he  passed  the  Pentecost  holidays,  the 
rejoicings  were  of  the  wildest  description.  Deputations 
met  him  on  the  road  and  presented  addresses.  Crowds 
of  people — young  and  old,  rich  and  poor — danced 
around  him,  shouted,  clapped  their  hands,  sounded  their 


Second  Visit  to  the  Holy  Lam,d.  63 

Darrabnkas,  and  chanted  songs  of  praise.  As  he  entered 
the  city  guns  were  fired,  and  tlie  streets  and  the  tops  of 
the  houses  were  thronged  with  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. The  Governor,  Abd-el-Khalim,  attended  by  the 
Cadi  and  other  influential  Mussulmans  paid  him  a  cere- 
monious visit,  and  expressed  a  hope  that,  "as  Queen 
Esther  had  delivered  her  people  from  destruction,  so 
might  the  Hebrews,  suffering  in  Palestine  under  such 
accumulated  distresses,  be  relieved  by  his  (Sir  Moses') 
efforts."  Not  less  cordial  was  the  reception  at  Tiberias. 
Deputations  from  all  the  congregations  awaited  Sir 
Moses  outside  the  walls,  and  the  Governor,  mounted  on 
a  beautiful  Arab  steed,  and  attended  by  a  numerous 
suite,  presented  him  with  an  address  of  welcome.  Then 
with  music  and  dancing,  and  amid  deafening  cries  of 
''  Live  the  protector !"  he  entered  the  town.  On  the  7th 
June  he  arrived  outside  Jerusalem,  but  in  consequence 
of  the  plague  raging  in  the  town,  encamped  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  The  Governor,  Mohamed  Djisdor, 
paid  a  visit  to  his  encampment  and  pressed  him  to 
enter  the  city  ;  eventually  he  consented.  The  conver- 
sation at  this  interview,  which  was  interpreted  by  Dr. 
Loewe,  and  has  been  preserved  by  Lady  Montefiore,  is 
worth  quoting : 

The    Governo7\ — "May    your    day    be    bright    and 
blessed  I" 

Sir  Moses. — "  And  yours  full  -of  blessings  and  com- 
forts !" 

The  Governor. — "May  the  Almighty  prolong  your 
life." 

Sir  Moses. — "  And  yours  continue  in  happiness," 

The  Governor. — "  The  air  is  delightful  here." 

Sir  Moses. — "Most  beautiful.     I  should   think  the 


f)4  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

breezes  of  this  mountain  would  convey  health  and  every 
other  blessing  to  the  Holy  City." 

The  Governor. — "Doubtless  all  blessings  arise  from 
this  mountain ;  particularly  as  you  have  pitched  your 
tent  upon  it." 

Sir  Moses. — "  Blessed  be  he  who  bestows  so  much 
honor  upon  me  by  his  kind  and  flattering  expressions  !" 

The  Governor. — "  I  say  what  my  heart  feels,  and  that 
which  the  whole  world  witnesses  with  me !" 

Sir  Moses. — "  I  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  show 
my  friendly  feelings  towards  you,  as  well  as  to  others 
who  think  so  kindly  of  me." 

The  Governor. — "  I  wish  to  impress  on  your  mind 
that  not  only  the  Jews,  but  the  Mussulmans,  Christians, 
and  every  other  class  of  the  inhabitants  are  most  anxious 
for  your  entrance  into  the  Holy  City." 

Sir  Moses. — "  I  am  perfectly  convinced  of  the  wortliy 
and  distinguished  character  of  its  inhabitants,  and  that 
such  it  should  be  is  not  astonishing,  subjected  as  it  is  to 
the  careful  observation  of  such  a  governor  as  yourself ; 
and  had  it  not  been  on  account  of  Lady  M.,  I  should 
have  entei'ed  the  town  the  very  day  of  my  arrival." 

The  Governor. — "  God  shall  prolong  your  life.  Only 
under  the  watchfnl  eye  of  our  Lord,  Ibrahim  Pacha,  and 
yourself,  can  happiness  be  increased.  At  the  time  when 
our  lord  came  to  Jerusalem  I  went  to  meet  him.  He 
said  to  me,  '  Achmet ! '  I  replied,  '  Eff endina ! '  '  You 
know  the  age  when  it  was  said,  This  is  a  Christian  and 
that  a  Jew,  and  there  is  a  Mussulman !  but  now, 
Achmet,  these  times  are  past.  Never  ask  what  he  is : 
let  him  be  of  whatsoever  religion  he  may,  do  him  justice, 
as  the  Lord  of  the  world  desired  of  us.' " 

Sir  Moses. — "  These  are  my  sentiments.     Make  no 


Second  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land.  65 

distinction.  Be  like  the  snn  which  shines  over  the  whole 
world — all  are  blessed  by  its  light,  all  strengthened  and 
refreshed  by  its  warmth,  whether  they  be  Jews,  Chris- 
tians, or  Mussulmans." 

The  Governor. — "  Long  live  Effendina !  His  sword 
is  very  long!  Look  at  the  spot  on  which  your  tents  are 
pitched.  Ten  years  ago  five  hundred  men  would  have 
been  needed  to  make  your  abode  here  secure.  At  pres- 
ent you  may  walk  with  a  bag  of  gold  in  your  hand. 
Not  a  soul  would  molest  you." 

Sir  Moses. — "  You  are  perfectly  right.  I  can  myself 
bear  witness  to  the  change  that  has  taken  place  in  this 
country.  Twelve  years  ago,  when  I  visited  this  town, 
I  often  heard  the  complaints  of  travellers.  Even  at  that 
time  I  personally  experienced  no  inconvenience.  But 
now  that  Mehemet  All  governs,  we  not  only  travel  in 
security,  but  are  furnished  by  his  highness  with  letters 
of  introduction  to  the  various  authorities  of  the  country." 

The  Governor. — "  Mehemet  Ali  knows  how  to  appre- 
ciate distinguished  persons  like  yourself ;  and  I  assure 
you  I  am  longing  to  show  you  every  proof  of  my  respect. 
But  while  you  are  sitting  here  in  quarantine  our  means 
are  limited,  and  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  manifest  the 
delight  which  would  otherwise  be  evidenced.  Follow 
my  advice.  Enter  the  city,  and  I  will  come  and  accom- 
pany you  with  the  whole  of  my  suite.  The  day  of  your 
appearing  among  us  shall  be  a  festival  to  all  the  people. 
I  will  send  you  a  beautiful  Arabian  horse;  in  short, 
whatever  you  like,  whether  soldiers,  horses,  or  servants. 
Depend  upon  it,  by  my  head,  by  my  eyes,  by  my  beard, 
all  shall  be  ready  in  a  moment !" 

Sir  Moses. — "  I  feel  highly  obliged  to  you,  and  am 
fully  assured  of  your  good-will.     I  promise  you  that  I 


66  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

will  enter,  be  it  the  will  of  Grod,  on  Wednesday  morn- 
in^^,  when  I  shall  be  happy  to  avail  myself  of  the  kind 
offer  of  your  company." 

The  Governor. — "  You  have  poured  torrents  of  bless- 
ings on  my  head ;  and  I  shall  not  fail  to  be  here,  at 
whatever  hour  you  desire,  with  the  Khakham  Morenu, 
whether  before  or  after  sunrise.  We  are  all  your  ser- 
vants." 

The  Governor  was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  a  princely 
reception  was  accorded  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore.  We 
cannot  do  better  than  quote  the  description  from  Lady 
Montefiore's  bright  narrative : 

"  At  a  quarter  past  three  we  were  called,  in  order  to 
commence  early  preparations  for  entering  the  city.  The 
Governor  arrived  at  six  o'clock,  attended  by  his  officers 
and  suite.  Coffee,  cibouks,  and  a  plate  of  cake  were 
served,  his  excellency  giving  a  piece  of  the  latter  to  each 
of  his  suite.  After  some  conversation,  we  rose  to  de- 
part.    M expressed  his  wish  to  ride  his  own  horse, 

thinking  that  sent  for  him  too  spirited,  but  the  Gover- 
nor replied  that  two  young  men  were  appointed  to  walk 
by  his  side.  All  the  party  being  mounted,  the  Gover- 
nor led  the  way  attended  by  his  officers.  The  chief  of 
the  cavalry  arranged  the  order  of  march,  and  two  sol- 
diers with  long  muskets  were  appointed  immediately 
to  precede  me.  The  scene  produced  by  this  descent  of 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  passing  as  we  were  through  the 
most  romantic  defiles,  and  with  long  lines  of  Turkish 
soldiers,  mounted  on  noble  Arab  horses  and  dressed  in 
the  most  costly  costume,  cannot  be  easily  described. 
More  honor,  they  said,  could  not  have  been  paid  even 
to  a  king.  We  entered  the  city  through  the  Gate  of  the 
Tribes.     The  streets  were  narrow,  and  almost  filled  up 


Second  Visit  to  the  Holy  Land.  07 

with  loose  stones  and  the  rains  of  liouses  which  had 
fallen  to  decay.  Our  guards  on  each  side  w^ere  busily 
engaged  in  keeping  off  the  people,  a  precaution  rendered 
necessary  to  lessen  the  danger  of  contagion.  Having 
passed  through  the  bazaar,  we  entered  the  Jewish  quar- 
ter of  the  town,  and  which  appeared  the  cleanest  of  any 
we  had  traversed.  The  streets,  every  lattice,  and  all  the 
tops  of  the  houses  were  thronged  with  children  and 
veiled  females.  Bands  of  music,  and  choirs  of  singers 
welcomed  our  arrival  with  melodies  composed  for  the 
occasion,  while  every  now  and  then  the  loud,  quick 
clapping  of  hands  gave  signal  that  the  whole  vast  crowd 
of  spectators  was  striving  to  give  expression  to  popular 
delight.    Having  reached  the  Synagogue,  the  Governor 

entered  with  us,  and  then  said,  addressing  M ,  he 

would  leave  us  to  our  devotions,  and  that  his  officer 
should  attend  us,  when  we  pleased  to  return  to  our 

encampment.     M was  called  to  the  Sepher,  and 

offered  prayer  for  all  our  friends  in  England,  as  well  as 
for  those  present.  I  was  allowed  the  honor  of  lighting 
four  lamps  in  front  of  the  altar,  and  putting  the  bells  on 

the  Sepher.     Blessings  were  then  given  for  M and 

me,  and  for  the  party.  "We  then  went  successively  to 
three  other  Portuguese,  and  two  German  Synagogues. 
Blessings  at  each  place  of  devotion  were  offered  up  for 
us,  and  no  sight  can  I  imagine  more  impressive  or  de- 
lightful than  that  which  was  thus  exhibited." 

In  each  of  the  Holy  Cities  Sir  Moses  made  elaborate 
inquiries  into  the  state  of  the  Jewish  population.  He 
endeavored  to  acquaint  himself  so  thoroughly  with  the 
condition  of  every  individual,  that,  in  the  schemes  he 
was  contemplating,  no  one  Jew  should  be  neglected. 
Besides  visiting  the  Jewish  quarters  and  personally  not- 


68  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

ing  all  he  saw,  he  instructed  Dr.  Loewe  to  take  a  kind 
of  census  of  the  Hebrew  poiJulution.  For  this  pnrpose 
statistical  forms  were  prepared  and  distributed,  and 
when  filled  up,  they  gave  copious  particulars  respecting 
the  communities  and  their  institutions.  A  collection 
was  also  made  of  such  suggestions  for  effecting  improve- 
ments, as  any  thoughtful  persons  in  each  locality  might 
care  to  commit  to  writing.  The  Jewish  population 
seemed  to  regard  Sir  Moses'  schemes  with  much  favor. 
Elaborate  reports  were  supplied  by  the  Rabbis,  in  which 
many  excellent  and  practical  suggestions  Avere  made. 
Lady  Montefiore  sums  them  up  in  the  words :  "  Energy 
and  talent  exist,  Nothing  is  needed  but  protection  and 
encouragement." 

But  Sir  Moses  did  more  than  make  these  statistical 
inquiries;  he  munificently  relieved  the  pressing  wants 
of  the  poor  in  each  of  the  Holy  Cities,  and  without  dis- 
tinction of  creed.  Anticipating  that  he  should  find  the 
people  in  a  veiy  sorry  state,  through  the  devastations  of 
earthquake  and  plague,  and  the  marauding  forays  of  the 
Druses,  he  provided  himself  before  leaving  Alexandria 
with  a  large  sum  of  money  in  specie,  for  distribution  in 
the  Holy  Land.  The  safety  of  this  money  was  no  small 
source  of  anxiety  during  the  journey  from  Beyrout  to 
Safed.  The  country  was  alive  with  brigands,  and  Sir 
Moses  and  his  companions  were  compelled  to  arm  them- 
selves to  the  teeth  ;  even  Lady  Montefiore  carried  pistols 
in  her  holsters.  One  night,  when  the  escort  whose  duty 
it  was  to  look  after  the  tents  lost  their  way,  Sir  Moses 
and  Lady  Montefiore  had  to  sleep  in  their  rugs,  while 
Dr.  Loewe  and  the  courier  kept  watch  with  loaded  fire- 
arms. "With  their  usual  good  fortune  the  travellers 
escaped  molestation,  and  the  money  was  successfully 


Second  Visit  to  t?ie  Holy  Land.  69 

distributed  at  Safed  and  Tiberias.  Careful  inquiries 
were  first  made  in  order  to  avoid  imposture,  and  then 
the  poor  were  admitted  to  Sir  Moses'  presence  in  batches 
of  thirty,  and  each  man  and  woman  was  presented  with 
a  Spanish  dollar,  and  with  half  that  sum  for  every  child 
under  thirteen  years  of  age.  Orphans  and  children  over 
thirteen  received  a  full  dollar.  With  rare  consideration, 
Sir  Moses  arranged  to  receive  separately  in  the  evenings, 
those  who  shrunk  from  exposing  their  poverty  to  the 
public  gaze.  At  Jerusalem  he  was  unable  to  perform 
this  interesting  ceremony,  as  his  stock  of  money  had 
become  exhausted,  and  there  was  no  banker  in  the  city 
to  honor  his  credits ;  he  was  compelled  therefore  to  give 
the  authorities  drafts  on  Beyrout.  One  of  the  happy 
results  of  this  importation  of  ready  money  was,  that  in 
Safed  and  Tiberias  the  price  of  a  measure  of  corn  fell 
immediately  from  five  piastres  to  two. 

His  inquiries  completed.  Sir  Moses  made  all  haste  to 
lay  his  plans  before  Mehemet  Ali.  He  reached  Alex- 
andria on  July  13th,  and  was  cordially  received  by  the 
Pacha,  who  listened  attentively  while  he  unfolded  his 
schemes.  Mehemet  Ali  promised  every  assistance,  and 
expressed  himself  anxious  to  improve  the  condition  of 
his  Hebrew  subjects.  "  You  shall  have  any  portion  of 
land  open  for  sale  in  Syria,"  he  said,  "  and  any  other 
land  which  by  application  to  the  Sultan  might  be  pro- 
cured for  you.  You  may  have  any  one  you  would  like 
me  to  appoint  as  Governor  in  any  of  the  rural  districts 
of  the  Holy  Land,  and  I  will  do  everything  that  lies  in 
my  power  to  support  your  praiseworthy  endeavors." 
He  further  gave  instructions  to  his  Minister  of  Finance, 
Burghos  Bey,  to  confirm  these  assurances  in  writing. 

A  new  era  seemed  dawning  for  the  Jews  of  the  Holy 


70  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Land.     Sir  Moses   returned  to  England  with  a  light 

heart,  and  prepared  to  put  his  plans  into  execution. 

But— 

"The  best  laid  schemes  o'  mice  an'  men, 
Gang  aft  a-gley." 

He  was  still  conning  over  the  voluminous  data  he  had 
collected,  and  was  constructing  in  his  mind  the  founda- 
tion of  a  new  commonwealth  for  Palestine,  when  he 
was  suddenly  called  upon  to  proceed  again  to  the  East 
— this  time,  not  as  a  peaceful  reformer,  but  as  the  cham- 
pion of  his  people,  charged  to  vindicate  their  honor  in 
the  face  of  a  foul  conspiracy.  He  cheerfully  laid  aside 
his  agricultural  schemes,  and  girded  up  his  loins  for  the 
new  enterprise.  When  he  returned  home  in  the  follow- 
ing spring,  crowned  with  laurels,  and  hailed  on  all  sides 
as  the  deliverer  of  Israel,  his  triumph  was  clouded  by 
one  sad  thought — the  projects  to  which  he  had  devoted 
the  whole  of  the  previous  year  were  no  longer  possible. 
Mehemet  Ali  had  ceased  to  be  lord  of  Syria,  and  his  im- 
proving rule  had  been  replaced  by  the  asphyxiating  au- 
thority of  the  Stamboul  Effendis,  under  whom  questions 
of  social  well-being  could  expect  little  furtherance. 


The  Damascus  Drama.  71 


CHAPTER  YII. 

THE  DAMASCUS  DRAMA. 

The  "Red  Spectre"  of  Judaism. —Its  History  and  Origin.— Revival 
of  the  Blood  Accusation  at  Damascus  in  Consequence  of  the  Dis- 
appearance of  Father  Thomas. — The  Fanaticism  of  the  Monks 
and  the  Designs  of  the  French  Consul.— M.  de  Ratti-Menton  sets 
himself  to  Manufacture  a  Case  against  the  Jews.— Secures  the 
Co-operation  of  the  Governor  of  the  City.— Arrest,  Torture,  and 
Confession  of  a  Jewish  Barber.— A  Jewish  Youth  Flogged  to 
Death. — Further  Arrests. — The  Prisoners  Submitted  to  Terrible 
Tortures. — Wholesale  Seizure  of  Jewish  Children. — Ratti-Men- 
ton's  MoucMrds. — Another  Confession. — The  Bottle  of  Human 
Blood. — Two  of  the  Prisoners  Die  under  Torture. — Protests  of  the 
Austrian  Consul. — A  Mass  over  Mutton  Bones. — Attempt  to  Ex- 
cite the  Mussulman  Populace. — The  Prisoners  Condemned  to 
Death. — The  "  Red  Spectre"  at  Rhodes. — Anti-Jewish  Risings. 

Some  eighteen  centuries  and  a  half  ago  the  city  of 
Alexandria  was  distracted  by  an  agitation  against  the 
Jews,  which,  in  many  of  its  features,  was  a  perfect 
type  of  the  anti-Semitic  movements  we  have  witnessed 
during  the  present  century.  The  charges  against  the 
Hebrew  people  were  then  the  same  as  now.  One 
writer  discovered  that  they  were  an  unsociable  tribe ; 
another  affirmed  that  their  religion  was  a  danger  to  the 
State.  The  Rohling  of  the  day  was  an  Egyptian  named 
Apion,  Avho  declared  that  the  Jews  were  required  by 
"a  secret  tradition"  to  make  use  of  human  blood  in 
their  Passover  ceremonies,  and  that,  consequently,  they 


^2  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

were  obliged  to  sacrifice  annnallj  a  certain  number  of 
Gentiles.  The  public  mind  became  inflamed,  and 
Flaccns  Aquilius,  the  Roman  Prefect,  desirous,  like 
many  a  modern  functionary,  of  ingratiating  himself 
with  the  people,  took  no  measures  to  prevent  the  riots 
and  massacres  that  eventually  occurred. 

No  circumstance  of  this  ancient  anti-Jewish  agitation 
has  been  more  frequently  repeated  than  the  charge  of 
the  ritual  use  of  human  blood.  This  "Red  Spectre" 
of  Judaism  has  haunted  the  whole  history  of  the  He- 
brew dispersion,  and  has  written  the  larger  portion  of 
its  martyrology.  It  clung  even  to  the  skirts  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  early  days  of  its  temporal  impotence, 
when  its  Hebrew  origin  was  still  fresh  in  men's  minds. 
Athenagoras  found  himself  compelled  to  appeal  to 
Marcus  Aurelius  for  protection  against  the  calumny ; 
and  Origen,  in  his  reply  to  Celsus,  was  obliged  to  cite 
from  the  Old  Testament  the  many  prohibitions  of.  the 
use  of  blood  as  evidence  of  the  impossibility  of  the 
alleged  practice.  In  course  of  time,  however,  Chris- 
tians themselves  adopted  the  fable,  together  with  many 
other  of  the  superstitions  of  paganism,  and,  by  a  tri- 
umph of  prejudice,  fastened  it  on  the  very  people 
whose  traditions  they  had  relied  on  to  rebut  it  when  it 
was  related  of  themselves.  Notwithstanding  that  the 
post-Biblical  legal  codes  of  the  Jews  worked  out  into 
elaborate  detail  the  Scriptural  laws  on  this  subject,  the 
Church  obstinately  persisted  in  repeating  the  charge. 
No  Christian  ever  disappeared  about  Easter  time  but 
the  cry  immediately  arose  that  he  had  been  murdered 
by  the  Jews.  The  calendar  bristles  with  saints  who 
are  supposed  in  the  flesh  to  have  been  victims  of  this 
"damnable    practice    of    Judaism."      Mii'acles    were 


The  Damascus  Drama.  73 

wrought  by  their  bodies  and  their  relics;  and  their 
shrines  have  been  visited  by  thousands  of  pilgrims. 
To  this  day  the  accusation  is  persisted  in,  and  there 
are  still  people  in  Europe  who  believe  that  ritual  mur- 
der is  a  practice  of  orthodox  Judaism, 

The  origin  of  this  extraordinary  delusion  has  per- 
jDlexed  many  historical  scholars.  The  most  probable 
theory  seems  to  be  that  it  was  only  a  natural  corollary 
of  the  vague  impression  of  the  Pagan  world  that  Juda- 
ism was  a  form  of  sorcery.  In  the  supernatural  medi- 
cine-chest blood  has  always  occupied  an  important  place. 
Even  in  Biblical  times  its  magical  virtue  was  the  bur- 
den of  a  vulgar  superstition ;  for  we  read  of  harlots 
washing  themselves  in  Ahab's  blood,  no  doubt  under 
the  impression  that  some  peculiar  beautifying  property 
attached  to  the  blood  of  a  king.  Homer,  Horace,  and 
Pliny  speak  of  the  magical  use  of  blood.  Gower  in  his 
De  Confessione  Am^antis  states  it  to  have  been  pre- 
scribed to  Constantino  for  the  cure  of  his  leprosy ;  but 
that  he  refused  to  try  it,  and  for  his  piety  was  miracu- 
lously healed : 

"  The  would  him  bathe  in  childes  bloode, 
Within  seven  winters'  age; 
For  as  thei  sayen,  that  shulde  assuage 
The  lepre." 

It  is  very  likely  that  the  superior  healthiness  of  the 
Jews,  and  their  immunity  from  many  epidemic  diseases, 
helped  to  fix  more  firmly  in  the  popular  mind  the  idea 
that  they  occasionally  fortified  themselves  with  doses  of 
human  blood.  The  specific  association  of  the  accusa- 
tion with  the  Passover  has  been  attributed  to  the  red 
wine  drunk  on  the  first  evening  of  the  festival.  Tied 
4 


74  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Moniefiore. 

wine  is  chosen  because,  according  to  an  old  Jewish 
legend,  when  Pharaoh  was  once  seriously  ill  he  caused 
his  body  to  be  bathed  daily  in  a  bath  of  the  blood  of 
Jewish  children  in  order  to  regain  his  health.  The 
fate  of  these  children  and  other  Jews,  stated  to  have 
been  murdered  in  Egypt,  is  commemorated  on  the  Pass- 
over by  drinking  red  wine ;  and  it  is  conjectured  that 
supporters  of  the  Blood  Accusation  imagine  this  wine 
to  be  blood. 

In  the  spring  of  1840  the  Jews  of  Europe  were 
startled  by  a  revival  of  the  blood  calumny  in  a  peculi- 
arly virulent  form.  Paragraphs  appeared  in  the  Times, 
the  Leipziger  AllgemeiTie  Zeitung,  the  Semaphore  de 
Marseilles,  and  other  influential  journals,  announcing 
that  a  charge  of  ritual  murder  had  actually  been  brought 
home  to  the  Israelitish  community  of  Damascus.  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  immediately  caused  inquiries  to  be 
made  into  the  truth  of  the  allegation,  but  it  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  any  reliable  information  could  be 
obtained,  UltimateW,  however,  the  true  story  leaked 
out,  and,  as  its  harrowing  details  assumed  tangible  form, 
it  caused  a  thrill  of  horror  to  run  through  the  whole  of 
Western  Europe, 

Early  in  the  year  a  Capuchin  friar,  named  Thomas 
de  Calangiano,  had,  together  with  his  servant,  unac- 
countably disappeared.  The  reverend  gentleman  was 
well  known  all  over  Damascus,  where  he  exercised  the 
profession  of  physician,  visiting  in  that  capacity  all 
classes  of  the  population,  Mussulmans,  Catholics,  Arme- 
nians, and  Jews.  A  rumor  at  first  pervaded  the  town 
that  a  quarrel  had  taken  place  between  him  and  a  Turk, 
and  that  the  latter  had  been  heard  to  swear  that  the 
"Christian  dog"  should  die  by  his  hand.     It  was  even 


The  Damascus  Drama.  76 

said  that  a  fight  had  taken  place,  Yery  mysteriously, 
however,  the  story  died  away;  and  one  fine  morning  a 
mob  of  Christians  crowded  into  the  Jewish  quarter, 
shouting  that  the  Jews  had  murdered  Father  Thomas, 
to  employ  his  blood  in  their  superstitious  rites.  Whether 
this  demonstration  was  promoted  by  the  Catholic  clergy 
or  not,  it  is  impossible  to  say ;  but  the  barbarous  sur- 
mise by  which  it  was  actuated  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  at  all  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of  these  holy  men. 
On  the  contrary,  it  appears  to  have  suited  their  interests 
to  give  it  all  the  support  in  their  power,  in  order,  appar- 
ently, to  avoid  a  conflict  between  themselves  and  the 
dominant  Mussulman  population,  which  would  have 
certainly  taken  place  had  an  investigation  been  made  of 
the  clew  afforded  by  the  rumored  quarrel.  Besides,  as 
Graetz  has  shrewdly  remarked,  a  monk  killed  by  the 
Jews  would  have  given  them  another  saint,  and  fur- 
nished them  with  an  additional  claim  on  the  purses  of 
the  faithful. 

The  expediency  of  the  course  adopted  by  the  monks 
recommended  itself  with  peculiar  force  to  the  tortuous 
mind  of  the  French  Consul,  the  Count  de  Ratti-Mentou, 
an  unscrupulous  schemer,  whose  moral  character  maybe 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  had  already  been  dis- 
missed from  offices  of  trust  in  Sicily  and  Tiflis.  He 
acquiesced  in  the  accusation  against  the  Jews  with  alac- 
rity, not  merely  on  the  score  of  the  personal  interests  of 
the  local  Christians,  but,  as  he  diplomatically  thought, 
to  serve  the  political  ends  of  France  in  the  East  by  cur- 
rying favor  with  the  Mussulman  population.  He  im- 
mediately set  himself  to  manufacture  a  case  against  the 
Jews ;  and  for  this  purpose  took  into  his  confidence  n 
trio  of  the  most  notorious  rascals  in  Damascus,  Hanna 


76  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Bacliari  Bey,  a  well-known  Jew-hater,  Mohammed  El- 
Telli,  an  adventurer,  who  had  ah-eady  extorted  money 
from  the  Jews  on  a  trumped-up  charge  of  ritual  murder ; 
and  Shibli  Ajub,  a  Christian  Arab,  who  was  actually 
undergoing  at  the  time  a  term  of  imprisonment  for 
foi'gery,  of  which  he  had  l)een  convicted  mainly  on  the 
evidence  of  a  Jew,  The  Governor  of  Damascus,  Sheriff 
Pasha,  needed  no  pressing  to  consent  to  the  proceedings 
of  the  French  Consul.  Gallic  influence  was  then  para- 
mount in  the  councils  of  Mehemet  Ali,  who  was  relying 
on  the  specious  promises  of  Louis  Philippe  to  enable 
him  to  defy  the  European  allies  of  the  Sultan.  It  was 
consequently  more  than  a  provincial  official's  head  was 
worth  to  ofiend  a  diplomatic  agent  of  the  French  Gov- 
ernment. Besides,  Sheriff  Pasha  was  not  insensible  to 
the  prospect  of  plunder  held  out  by  a  well-devised  Blood 
Accusation. 

The  stage  thus  cleared,  the  curtain  rose  on  the  first 
act  of  the  drama.  Bachari  Bey,  after  a  long  and  mys- 
terious inquiry,  discovered  a  person  who  was  willing  to 
swear  that,  on  the  day  of  the  Padre's  disappearance,  he 
had  seen  him  and  his  servant  enter  a  house  in  the  Jew- 
ish quarter  of  the  city.  The  tenant  of  the  house  in 
question,  a  poor  barber,  was  waited  upon  by  the  satel- 
lites of  the  French  Consul,  and  sternlj^  interrogated. 
He  showed  so  much  trepidation  and  confusion,  that  it 
was  resolved  to  arrest  him,  and  he  was  handed  over  by 
Ratti-Menton  to  Sheriff  Pasha  for  further  examination. 
This  took  the  form  of  500  lashes,  but  it  failed  to  extort 
a  confession.  More  exquisite  torture  was  resorted  to, 
but  still  the  poor  barber  steadfastly  denied  all  knowledge 
of  the  crime.  He  was  then  thrown  into  a  pestiferous 
dungeon  to  regain  strength  for  further  torture.    During 


The  Damascus  Drama.  77 

his  incarceration  Shibli  Ajub  made  his  acquaintance  as 
a  fellow-prisoner,  and,  acting  npon  instructions  from 
without,  endeavored  to  gain  his  confidence,  witli  a  view 
to  eliciting  from  him  the  fate  of  Father  Thomas.  But 
still  he  protested  that  he  knew  nothing  about  it ;  and  all 
the  machinations  of  his  wily  interlocutor  were  powerless 
to  induce  him  to  incriminate  either  himself  or  any  of 
his  brethren.  At  last,  growing  impatient,  Shibli  de- 
clared himself  in  his  true  character.  Adopting  an  im- 
perious tone,  he  called  upon  the  half-distracted  barber 
to  confess  his  guilt  at  once  ;  he  told  him  that  he  was  an 
agent  of  the  Pasha,  and  if  the  truth  were  not  imme- 
diately avowed,  the  torture  would  there  and  then  be  re- 
sumed. In  an  agony  of  terror  the  miserable  creature 
threw  himself  at  Shibli's  feet,  and  frantically  implored 
his  mercy.  Shibli  coldly  repeated  his  interrogatories, 
when  the  barber,  yielding  to  his  fears,  gasped  out  that 
he  was  guilty.  So,  at  least,  Shibli  reported  to  his  supe- 
riors, at  the  same  time  stating  that  the  barber  had  men- 
tioned as  his  accomplices  several  Jewish  merchants  of 
Damascus,  who  all,  curiously  enough,  turned  out  to  be 
very  wealthy  men. 

In  the  mean  time  Sheriff  Pasha  had  sent  for  the  Jew- 
ish ecclesiastical  chiefs,  and  had  commanded  them  to 
discover  the  criminals  within  three  days.  The  whole 
community  were  in  consequence  summoned  to  the 
Synagogue  by  the  Rabbis,  and  a  proclamation  was  read 
calling  upon  any  Jew  who  knew  aught  that  might  lead 
to  the  detection  of  the  murderers  to  instantly  make  it 
known  under  pain  of  excommunication.  The  com- 
munity were  likewise  enjoined  to  institute  a  diligent 
search  for  the  criminals.  In  consequence  of  this  proc- 
lamation a  young  man,  a  Jew,  who  kept  a  tobacconist's 


78  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

shop  in  the  Moslem  quarter,  close  by  one  of  the  city 
gates,  came  forward,  and  stated  that  the  missing  priest 
and  his  servant  had  passed  by  his  door  at  six  o'clock  on 
the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  he  was  last  seen  ;  that 
he  had  solicited  them  to  purchase  tumheki,  but  that  they 
had  passed  on  to  the  house  of  a  Turkish  merchant, 
which  they  had  entered.  The  young  man  was  taken 
before  the  Pasha,  to  whom  he  repeated  his  story ;  but 
the  latter,  instead  of  inquiring  into  its  truth,  angrily 
accused  him  of  being  an  accomplice,  and  ordered  him 
to  be  mercilessly  flogged.  The  youth  perished  under 
the  bastinado.  He  was  the  first  martyr  in  this  terrible 
tragedy. 

Ratti-Menton  lost  no  time  in  communicating  to 
Sheriff  Pasha  the  nature  of  the  barber's  alleged  confes- 
sion; and  seven  of  the  most  influential  Jews  in  the 
town — David  Arari,  his  son  and  two  brothers,  Moses 
Abulafia,  Moses  Saloniki,  and  Joseph  Laniado,  the 
latter  a  man  over  eighty  years  of  age — were  forthwith 
arrested.  Examined  by  the  Governor,  they  one  and  all 
asserted  their  innocence.     At  the  suffcrestion  of  Patti- 

CO 

Menton  the  bastinado  was  called  into  requisition  ;  but 
still  they  denied  all  knowledge  of  the  missing  monk. 
Then  they  were  submitted  to  the  most  excruciating  tor- 
tures. They  were  soaked  with  their  clothes  for  hours 
at  a  stretch  in  large  tanks  of  cold  water  ;  their  eyes 
were  punctured  ;  they  were  made  to  stand  upright 
without  support  for  nearly  two  days  ;  and  when  their 
wearied  bodies  fell  down,  they  were  aroused  by  the 
prick  of  soldiers'  bayonets  ;  they  were  dragged  by  the 
ear  until  their  blood  gushed ;  thorns  were  driven  be- 
tween the  nails  and  flesh  of  their  fingers  and  toes ;  fire 
was  set   to   their  beards  till  their    faces  were  singed; 


The  Damascus  Drama.  79 

and  candles  were  held  under  their  noses,  so  that  the 
flames  burnt  their  nostrils.  But  still  no  admission  of 
guilt  passed  their  lips.  Sheriff  Pasha  then  bethought 
himself  of  another  and  still  more  fiendish  plan.  He 
ordered  sixty  Jewish  children,  ranging  in  age  from 
three  to  ten  years,  to  be  forcibly  torn  from  their 
mothers,  and  locked  up  in  a  room  without  food,  in  the 
hope  that  the  bereaved  parents  would  frantically  de- 
nounce the  murderers.  This  infernal  expedient  also 
failed.  Then  maddened  by  their  want  of  success,  SherifE 
Pasha  and  Ratti-Menton  invaded  the  Jewish  quarter 
with  a  troop  of  soldiers,  and  demolished  several  houses 
ostensibly  to  find  evidence.  Nothing  was  discovered ; 
and  the  enraged  Governor  before  taking  his  leave  swore 
a  tremendous  oath,  that  if  the  body  of  Father  Thomas 
were  not  soon  produced,  many  hundred  Jewish  heads 
should  pay  the  penalty. 

All  this  time  Ratti-Menton's  mouchards  had  not  been 
idle.  They  had  managed  to  obtain  for  themselves  the 
entree  to  the  houses  of  the  imprisoned  Jews,  and  day 
after  day  they  had  spent  in  cajoling  the  servants.  Mo- 
hammed El-Telli  had  specially  attached  himself  to  one 
of  Arari's  servants,  Mourad  El-Fallat,  and  eventually  he 
prevailed  upon  him  to  admit  that  he  had  killed  Father 
Thomas  at  his  master's  orders,  and  in  presence  of  the 
other  prisoners.  This  was  held  by  Ratti-Menton  to  be 
a  confirmation  of  the  barber's  narrative,  notwithstanding 
the  discrepancy  that  both  the  self-accusers  claimed  to 
have  alone  committed  the  deed.  A  search  for  the 
remains  of  the  murdered  man  was  at  once  instituted, 
and  resulted  in  the  finding  of  a  piece  of  bone  and  a 
rag  in  a  drain  near  Arari's  house.  The  bone  was  de 
Glared  by  Ratti-Menton  to  be  a  portion  of  the  priest's 


80  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

skull,  and  the  rag  a  part  of  his  cap.  The  guilt  of  the 
accused  was  now  considered  established,  and  all  that 
remained  to  be  discovered  was  the  blood,  for  the  sake 
of  which  the  Padre  was  alleged  to  have  been  murdered. 
The  seven  prisoners  were  again  dragged  before  the 
Pasha  and  examined,  but  to  no  purpose.  Torture  was 
then  once  more  tried.  The  aged  Laniado  died  under 
the  bastinado.  "Worn  out  with  pain,  one  of  the  prisoners 
wliispered  to  a  jailer  that  he  had  given  the  blood  to 
Moses  Abulafia.  The  latter,  after  receiving  another 
thousand  blows,  and  hardly  knowing  what  he  was  saying, 
stammered  out  that  he  had  hidden  the  bottle  in  a  certain 
closet.  Abulafia  was  carried  on  the  backs  of  four  men 
to  the  closet  indicated  by  him,  where,  of  course,  no 
traces  of  blood  were  found.  The  tortures  were  then 
resumed,  but  without  any  other  result  than  that  David 
Arari  shared  the  fate  of  Joseph  Laniado,  and  Abulafia 
purchased  immunity  from  further  molestation  by  turn- 
ing Mussulman. 

Towards  the  beginning  of  March  suspicion  fell  upon 
six  more  Jews,  among  them  one  Isaac  Levi  Picciotto, 
an  Austrian  subject.  He  appealed  to  his  Consul,  M. 
Merlato,  for  protection,  and  the  latter,  who  had  watched 
the  proceedings  of  Ratti-Menton  w^th  undisguised 
abhorrence,  refused  to  deliver  him  up.  All  kinds  of 
so-called  evidence  of  his  guilt  were  offered,  and  threats 
were  even  used  towards  his  protector,  but  M.  Merlato 
proved  immovable.  About  the  same  time  more  bones 
were  discovered,  and  although  they  were  pronounced  by 
physicians  to  be  sheep's  bones,  Ratti-Menton  declared 
them  to  be  the  skeleton  of  the  missing  priest.  He  even 
went  to  the  extent  of  ordering  the  monks  to  celebrate 
a  mass  over  the  remains,  and  then  sent  another  insolent 


The  Damascus  Drama.  81 

message  to  the  Austrian  Consul,  demanding  of  him  the 
Jew  Picciotto. 

M.  Merlato  now  thoroughly  lost  his  patience.  The 
horror  with  which  he  had  silently  watched  the  French 
Consul's  proceedings  became  intolerable,  and  he  felt 
compelled  to  remonstrate  with  him  publicly.  This  he 
did  in  no  measured  terms,  at  the  same  time  threatening 
to  communicate  with  his  government.  The  gravity  of 
his  position  seems  to  have  now  dawned  upon  Ratti- 
Menton  for  the  first  time,  and  he  hastily  devoted  liim- 
self  to  the  task  of  transferring  the  responsibility  for 
the  outrages  from  himself  to  the  Mussulman  popula- 
tion, who,  strange  to  say,  had  taken  but  a  very  languid 
interest  in  the  whole  affair.  In  order  to  excite  their 
fanaticism,  he  caused  to  be  translated  into  Arabic  a 
lying  anti-Jewish  work,  the  Pompta  Bibliotheca,  of 
Lucio  Ferrajo,  in  which  the  ritual  use  of  human  blood 
by  Jews  is  sought  to  be  demonstrated  by  forged 
extracts  from  the  Talmud.  The  riots  he  anticipated 
would  follow  from  this  publication  did  not,  however, 
take  place.  Then  he  resolved  to  put  a  bold  face  on 
the  whole  matter.  He  held  a  mock  judicial  inquiry', 
at  which  he  admitted  the  Pompta  Bihliotheca  as 
evidence,  and  his  own  creatures  as  witnesses,  and 
ultimately  decided  (1)  that  the  Jews  used  human  blood 
in  their  Passover  services,  and  (2)  that  the  imprisoned 
Jews  had  murdered  the  priest  Thomas  de  Calangiano 
for  the  purposes  of  their  Passover.  As  a  result  of  this 
finding,  he  formally  demanded  of  the  Governor  the 
execution  of  the  prisoners ;  and  Sheriff  Pasha,  with  an 
equally  ostentatious  respect  for  legal  procedure,  prom- 
ised to  apply  immediately  to  Cairo  for  a  confirmation 
of  the  death  sentences. 
4* 


82  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

While  this  tragedy  was  being  enacted  at  Damascus, 
a  no  less  unhappy  revival  of  the  Blood  Accusation 
occurred  in  Rhodes.  In  that  island,  a  Greek  boy,  ten 
years  of  age,  had  disappeared,  and  a  rumor  at  once 
spread  that  the  Jews  had  killed  him.  The  Consuls 
of  the  European  powers,  in  their  zeal  for  Christian 
interests,  called  upon  the  Mussulman  Governor,  Jussuf 
Pasha,  to  adopt  severe  measures  against  the  Jews. 
Among  the  bitterest  accusers  of  the  persecuted  Hebrews 
were  the  British  Consul,  Mr.  Wilkinson,  and  his  son. 
The  Austrian  Consul  alone  protested  against  the  dis- 
graceful return  to  mediaeval  superstition.  On  the  rep- 
resentations of  two  Greek  women  that  the  missing  boy 
had  been  last  seen  in  the  company  of  a  certain  Jew, 
this  unhappy  individual  was  seized  and  thrown  into 
prison.  Then,  to  the  lasting  shame  of  Christian  civili- 
zation, the  Consuls  attempted  to  extort  a  confession  by 
torture.  They  flogged  their  prisoner,  they  burnt  his 
flesh  with  red-hot  irons,  and  dislocated  his  bones  on  the 
rack.  The  result  was,  of  course,  the  same  as  at  Damas- 
cus— the  wretched  Hebrew,  delirious  with  pain,  aim- 
lessl}'^  moaned  out  the  names  of  several  of  his  co-re- 
ligionists. These  were  in  their  turn  seized  and  charged, 
not  only  with  the  murder,  but  also  with  having 
extracted  the  blood  from  the  body  of  the  missing 
boy,  and  transmitted  it  to  the  Chief  Rabbi  at  Con- 
stantinople. No  confession  being  forthcoming,  they 
were  also  tortured  and  imprisoned.  Then  the  gates 
of  the  Ghetto  were  ordered  to  be  closed,  and  no  food 
was  allowed  to  enter  for  three  days.  Still  no  discovery 
was  made ;  and  it  was  finally  attempted  to  manufacture 
a  case  by  smuggling  a  dead  body  into  the  Jewish 


The  Damascus  Drama.  83 

quarter  at  night.  The  vigilance  of  the  Jews  defeated 
this  infamous  plan. 

The  news  soon  spread  that  another  Jewish  ritual 
sacrifice  had  been  detected,  and  popular  risings  against 
the  Israelites  took  place  in  several  towns  of  Syria. 
What  Katti-Menton  had  been  powerless  to  effect  by  his 
transparent  intrigues,  was  brought  about  by  the  con- 
sternation  caused  by  the  new  discovery  at  Ehodes.  At 
Djabar,  near  Damascus,  the  mob  rose  and  sacked  the 
synagogue.  At  Beyrout  and  Smyrna  serious  riots 
broke  out.  For  a  moment  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  of 
Eastern  Judaism  was  about  to  be  ingulfed  in  a  wave  of 
fanaticism. 

This  was  the  horrible  story  that  startled  the  Jews  of 
Western  Europe  about  the  middle  of  April,  1840. 


84  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

THE   MISSION   TO   MEHEMET   ALT. 

Significance  of  the  new  Blood  Accusation  to  the  Jews  of  England, 
— Appeals  for  Help. — Meeting  convened  by  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 
— Interview  with  Lord  Palmerston. — M.  Cremieux  has  an  Audi- 
ence of  Louis  Philippe. — Action  of  Prince  Metternich. — Mehemet 
Ali  takes  Alarm,  and  Appoints  a  Consular  Commission  of 
Inquiry. — French  Intrigues. — M.  Thiers  Protests  against  the 
Inquiry. — Resolve  to  send  a  Mission  to  Mehemet  Ali,  headed 
by  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. — Debate  in  Parliament. — Indignation 
Meeting  at  the  Mansion  House.  —  Acquittal  of  the  Jews  of 
Rhodes. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  arrives  at  Alexandria,  and  Inter- 
views the  Viceroy. — Hesitation  of  Mehemet  Ali. — Intrigues  of  the 
French  Consul. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  Diplomacy. — Its  Happy 
Results. — Release  of  the  Damascus  Prisoners. — The  Eastern 
Question. — Egypt  and  the  Quadruple  Alliance. — Mehemet  Ali 
Loses  Syria. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  Proceeds  to  Constantinople, 
and  Obtains  an  Important  Firman  from  the  Sultan. — The  Jour- 
ney Home. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Louis  Philippe. — Re- 
joicings of  the  Jews. — Royal  Recognition  of  Sir  Moses'  Efforts. 

To  the  Jews  of  England  the  new  Blood  Accusation 
was  a  source  of  the  deepest  anxiety.  Under  any  cir- 
cumstances the  revival  of  so  sinister  an  appeal  to  vulgar 
fears  and  prejudices  would  have  been  of  serious  mo- 
ment, but  occurring  in  the  midst  of  a  critical  struggle 
for  their  emancipation,  and  in  connection  with  political 
complication,  which  rendered  an  adverse  decision  by  no 
means  improbable,  its  aspect  in  1840  was  of  an  exceed- 
ingly grave  character.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church 
had  irrevocably  committed  itself  to  the  guilt  of  the 


The  Mission  to  Mehemet  Ali.  85 

Damascus  Israelites,  and  France,  masking  her  designs 
on  Syria  by  a  Pharisaical  championship  of  the  Eastern 
Chi'istians,  had  bound  herself  to  a  similar  conclusion. 
In  the  diplomatic  conflict  between  Louis  Philippe  and 
the  Quadruple  Alliance,  a  French  success  meant  certain 
conviction  of  the  imprisoned  Jews  at  Damascus ;  and,  in 
presence  of  M.  Thiers'  warlike  attitude,  such  a  success 
was  by  no  means  unlikely.  To  the  Powers  it  was  prob- 
ably a  small  matter,  in  the  aggregate  of  interests  at  stake 
in  Egypt,  whether  a  few  Jews  were  or  were  not  found 
guilty  of  murder ;  but,  to  the  Jews  as  a  body,  and  par- 
ticularly those  of  England,  no  more  serious  question  had 
occurred  for  many  years.  The  alleged  murder  was,  it 
must  be  remembered,  a  ritual  murder,  and  for  a  civilized 
European  power  like  France  to  give  its  countenance, 
however  incidentally,  to  the  theory  of  the  possibility  of 
such  a  murder,  was  to  arm  the  enemies  of  the  Jews — 
and  they  were  by  no  means  few — with  the  most  power- 
ful weapon  they  had  possessed  for  ages.  Far-seeing 
Jews  in  England  felt  this.  They  saw,  too,  its  practical 
bearing  on  their  own  struggle  for  freedom,  and  their 
action  was  consequently  prompt. 

On  the  21st  April  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  convened  a 
meeting  at  his  residence  in  Park  Lane  to  consider  the 
news  from  the  East.  Many  Jews  eminent  in  the  com- 
munity attended,  in  addition  to  the  members  of  the 
Board  of  Deputies ;  Mr.  Isaac  Lyon  Goldsmid,  Mr. 
David  Salomons,  Mr.  A.  A.  Goldsmid,  Dr.  Loewe, 
and  Dr.  Barnard  Yan  Oven  were  among  those  present. 
M.  Cremieux,  then  Yice-President  of  the  Consistoire 
Central,  and  a  busy  advocate  at  the  French  bar,  at- 
tended on  behalf  of  the  Jews  of  France.  The  story  of 
the  sufferings  of  the  Eastern  Israelites  was  placed  before 


86  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

the  meeting  in  the  shape  of  letters  from  Damascus, 
Beyront,  Alexandria,  and  Constantinople,  and  a  com- 
munication was  also  read  from  the  Rev.  S.  Hirschel,  the 
then  Chief  Rabbi  of  Great  Britain,  solemnly  repudiating 
the  charge  of  shedding  human  blood  for  ritual  purposes. 
After  a  spirited  discussion,  a  series  of  resolutions  was 
adopted,  expressing  the  concern,  disgust,  and  horror  of 
the  meeting  at  such  unfounded  and  cruel  accusations 
against  their  Eastern  brethren,  and  at  the  barbarous  tor- 
tures inflicted  upon  them;  entreating  the  Governments 
of  England,  France,  and  Austria  to  take  up  the  cause  of 
the  unhappy  Jews,  and  appointing  a  deputation  to  wait 
on  Lord  Palmerston  (who  was  at  the  time  Hei-  Majesty's 
Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs),  with  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore at  its  head. 

The  reception  accorded  to  Sir  Moses  and  his  col- 
leagues at  Downing  Street  was  extremely  gratifying. 
Lord  Palmerston  expressed  abhorrence  of  the  persecu- 
tion at  Damascus ;  assured  the  deputation  that  the  influ- 
ence of  the  British  Government  should  be  exerted  on 
behalf  of  the  Jews,  and  promised  that  instructions  should 
immediately  be  sent  to  Colonel  Hodges,  at  Alexandria, 
and  Lord  Ponsonby,  at  Constantinople,  directing  them 
to  use  every  effort  to  prevent  a  continuance  of  the  out- 
rages. On  the  same  day  M.  Cremieux  had  an  audience 
of  the  French  King,  but  with  not  quite  so  satisfactory 
a  result.  "  I  know  nothing  of  all  you  have  told  me," 
coldly  replied  Louis  Philippe,  "  but  if,  in  any  part  of 
the  world,  there  are  Jews  who  appeal  to  my  protection, 
and  it  is  in  the  power  of  my  Government  to  afford  that 
protection,  you  may  depend  upon  it  that  it  will  be 
granted."  In  Austria,  on  the  other  hand,  very  efficient 
action  was  taken.     Prince  Metternich,  pleased  to  :^nd 


TJie  Mission  to  Mehemet  AU.  87 

that  his  diplomatic  agents  in  the  East  had  already  de- 
clared themselves  on  what  he  was  shrewd  enough  to 
perceive  would  prove  the  side  of  justice  and  right,  ad- 
dressed a  personal  remonstrance  to  Mehemet  Ali,  and 
instructed  the  Austrian  Consul  Laurier  to  insist  upon 
the  fullest  reparation  to  the  Damascus  Israelites. 

The  result  of  these  vigorous  movements  on  the  part 
of  the  Western  Jews  was  to  cause  great  uneasiness  in 
the  mind  of  the  Egyptian  Viceroy.  M.  Cochelet,  the 
French  Consul  at  Alexandria,  did  his  best  to  laugh 
away  Mehemet's  anxieties,  and  for  a  time  the  latter 
yielded  himself  up  entirely  to  the  Frenchman's  advice 
and  consolations;  but  at  last  a  joint  representation  by 
the  foreign  Consuls  convinced  him  that  the  Powers  were 
in  earnest,  and  he  hurriedl}'  sent  orders  to  Sheriff  Pasha 
to  stop  the  outrages,  and  directed  that  an  armed  force 
should  proceed  to  Damascus  to  quell  disturbances  and 
maintain  order.  He  also  appointed  a  Commission  of 
Inquiry,  consisting  of  the  English,  Austrian,  Kussian, 
and  Prussian  Consuls,  with  permission  to  take  evidence 
at  Damascus,  and  to  conduct  their  proceedings  accord- 
ing to  European  rule. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  satisfactory  to  the 
Jews.  Unfortunately  the  political  atmosphere  was  too 
heavily  charged  with  intrigue  for  so  straightforward  a 
course  to  be  pursued  to  the  end.  The  warlike  policy  of 
the  French  Ministry  had  brought  about  serious  differ- 
ences between  M.  Thiers  and  his  Poyal  master,  and  the 
former  was  desirous,  at  all  hazards,  to  obtain  for  himself 
the  support  of  a  majority  in  the  Chambers.  Just  at  that 
moment  the  Clerical  party  were  equally  anxious  that  no 
inquiry  should  be  held  in  respect  to  the  Damascus  out- 
rages, and,  to  conciliate  them,  M.  Thiers  instructed  M. 


88  Tlie  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejlore. 

Cochelet  to  protest  in  the  strongest  possible  manner 
against  the  appointment  of  the  Consular  commission. 
Mehemet  Ali,  apprehensive  amid  his  increasing  diffi- 
culties of  alienating  his  only  friend  among  the  Powers, 
allowed  himself  to  be  intimidated,  and  forthwith  can- 
celled the  appointment. 

It  now  became  necessary  for  the  Jews  of  Europe  to 
renew  their  agitation.  Conferences  and  meetings  were 
lield  at  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  house,  and  communica- 
tions were  opened  with  foreign  and  colonial  connnunities. 
Eventually,  on  the  15th  June,  it  was  resolved  to  send 
a  mission  to  Mehemet  Ali,  and  the  zealous  President 
of  the  Board  of  Deputies  was  asked  to  undertake  its 
leadership.  With  his  usual  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  his  brethren  he  accepted  the  onerous  appointment, 
and  a  subscription  to  defray  the  expenses  was  imme- 
diately set  on  foot.  The  Sephardi  congregation  in  Bevis 
Marks  handsomely  gave  £500  from  their  Cautivos  fund  ; 
other  Synagogues  offered  according  to  their  means. 
Meetings  in  support  of  the  action  of  the  London  Israel- 
ites were  held,  and  contributions  were  raised  at  Ham- 
burg, Leghorn,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  St.  Thomas, 
and  Jamaica.  M.  Cremieux  was  deputed  by  the  Jews 
of  France  to  accompany  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  but  he 
failed  to  obtain  from  the  French  Government  the 
slightest  support;  even  recommendations  to  French 
officials  in  the  East  were  denied  him.  M.  Thiers  had 
been  iriitated  by  a  debate  on  the  Damascus  affair  that 
had  taken  place  in  the  French  Chamber  at  the  instance 
of  M.  Achille  Fould,  and  this  was  doubtless  his  revenge. 
It  had  a  very  desponding  effect  upon  M.  Cremieux,  who, 
on  his  arrival  in  London,  bitterly  declared,  "  La  France 
est  contre  nous!" 


The  Mission  to  Mehemet  AU.  89 

Before  the  departure  of  the  mission  two  significant 
demonstrations  in  its  favor  took  place  in  London,  the 
first  in  the  House  of  Commons,  the  second  at  the  Man- 
sion House.  The  debate  in  Parliament  was  initiated 
bj  Sir  Robert  Peel,  who,  "  in  the  interests  of  general 
humanity,"  called  upon  the  Ministry  to  insist  upon  an 
investigation  of  the  Damascus  mystery.  "  Thus,"  said 
tlie  speaker,  "  they  will  be  enabled  to  rescue  that  great 
portion  of  society,  the  Jews,  who,  in  every  other  coun- 
try in  which  they  live,  have,  by  their  conduct  in  private 
life,  conciliated  the  general  estimation  and  good-will  of 
their  fellow-subjects,  from  a  charge  which  is  founded  on 
prejudice,  and  must  subject  them  to  the  most  grievous 
injustice."  Lord  Palnierston's  reply  was  all  that  could 
be  desired.  Full  reports  had  not  yet  been  received  from 
the  East,  but  strong  representations  had  been  made  to 
Mehemet  Ali.  "Upon  hearing  of  the  circumstance," 
said  the  Minister,  "I  immediately  instructed  Colonel 
Hodges  at  Alexandria  to  bring  the  subject  under  the 
serious  attention  of  the  Pasha  of  Egypt,  to  point  out  to 
him  the  effect  which  such  atrocities  as  these  must  pro- 
duce on  the  public  mind  of  Europe,  and  to  urge  him, 
for  his  own  sake,  to  institute  such  inquiries  as  would 
enable  him  to  punish  the  guilty  parties,  if  guilty  parties 
there  are,  and  to  make  such  an  atonement  as  is  in  his 
power  to  the  unfortunate  sufferers."  The  demonstra- 
tion at  the  Mansion  House  wns  still  more  gratifying.  It 
was  convened  by  the  Lord  Mayor,  Sir  Chapman  Mar- 
shall, in  response  to  a  memorial  signed  by  210  members 
of  Parliament,  merchants,  bankers,  etc.,  and  was  influen- 
tially  attended.  The  speakers  included  Mr.  J.  A.  Smith, 
M.P.,  Dr.  Bowring,  Lord  Howden,  and  Daniel  O'Con- 
nell,  and  among  the  company  were  Sir  Denham  Nor- 


90  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

rejs,  M.P.,  Mr.  James  Morrison,  M.P.,  Mr.  W.  Attwood, 
M.P.,  Mr.  Martin  Smith,  M.P.,  Mr.  S.  Giirney,  the 
Hon.  and  Rev.  Baptist  Noel,  Sir  C.  Forbes.  Mr.  John 
Dillon,  and  Thomas  Campbell,  the  poet.  Several  effective 
speeches  were  delivered,  and,  amid  much  enthusiasm, 
resolutions  were  passed  setting  forth  the  commiseration 
felt  by  all  true  Christians  for  the  persecuted  Jews  of 
Damascus  and  Rhodes,  declaring  their  abhorrence  at  the 
use  of  torture  and  their  disbelief  in  the  confessions  ob- 
tained thereby,  and  expressing  their  deep  regret  that,  in 
this  enlightened  age,  a  persecution  should  have  arisen 
against  the  Jews,  originating  in  ignorance  and  inflamed 
by  bigotry.  The  Lord  Maj^or  was  empowered  by  the 
meeting  to  present  copies  of  these  resolutions  to  all  the 
foreign  ambassadors  as  well  as  to  the  British  Govern- 
ment. Thus  encouraged,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  left 
London  on  the  7th  July  accompanied  by  Lady  Monte- 
fiore, M.  Cremieux,  M.  Munk,  Mr.  Alderman  Wire,  Dr. 
Loewe,  and  Dr.  Madden.  Before  his  departure  he  was 
graciously  received  by  Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  and  was 
furnished  by  the  Foreign  Ofiice  with  recommendations 
to  the  diplomatic  agents  of  Great  Britain  in  the  East. 
He  was  also  provided  by  the  Jewish  ecclesiastical 
authorities  with  important  documents  formally  repudiat- 
ing the  charge  of  ritual  murder. 

Notwithstanding  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  French 
Government,  the  Mission  were  well  received  at  their 
various  halting-places  in  France,  especially  at  Avignon, 
Nimes,  Carpentras,  and  Marseilles.  At  the  latter  town 
good  news  reached  them  from  Rhodes.  A  special 
tribunal,  under  the  presidency  of  Rifaat  Bey,  had,  after 
a  short  but  exhaustive  inquiry,  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  accusation  against  the  Jews  was  unfounded. 


The  Mission  to  Mehemet  Ali.  91 

The  prisoners  had  been  restored  to  their  homes,  and 
Jnssnf  Pasha,  the  Governor,  dismissed  from  liis  post  bj 
the  Sultan.  At  Leghorn,  on  the  other  liand,  discourag- 
ing intelligence  was  received  from  Syria.  That  province 
was  in  open  rebellion  against  the  rule  of  Mehemet  Ali ; 
Suleiman  Pasha,  one  of  the  Viceroy's  generals,  had  been 
attacked  and  taken  prisoner,  and  Beyrout  was  blockaded. 
The  dangers  of  the  expedition  were  pointed  out  to  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore,  but  he  declined  to  desert  the  cause 
he  had  undertaken,  whatever  the  risks  to  which  he  might 
be  exposed.  On  the  27th  July  the  Mission  arrived  at 
Malta,  where  they  learnt  that  the  insurrection  in  Syria 
was  on  the  point  of  being  quelled.  Continuing  their 
voyage,  they  reached  Alexandria  on  the  4th  August. 

Sir  Moses  Montefiore  at  once  delivered  his  credentials 
and  despatches  to  Colonel  Hodges,  and  requested  that 
he  would  procure  for  him  an  immediate  audience  with 
the  Pasha.  At  the  same  time  all  the  foreign  Consuls, 
with  the  exception  of  M.  Cochelet,  tendered  their  sup- 
port to  the  Jewish  representative.  On  the  6th  August 
Sir  Moses  was  courteously  received  by  Mehemet  Ali,  to 
whom  he  presented  a  petition  asking  for  permission  to 
proceed  to  Damascus  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  evi- 
dence on  behalf  of  the  imprisoned  Jews,  and  to  see  and 
interrogate  the  prisoners.  He  further  prayed  that  safety 
should  be  guaranteed  to  the  members  of  the  Mission  and 
all  persons  giving  evidence.  Mehemet  Ali  promised  to 
consider  the  petition.  Two  more  interviews  took  place, 
but  no  decision  was  arrived  at.  On  one  pretence  or  an- 
other Sir  Moses  was  then  put  off  from  day  to  day,  and 
it  soon  became  evident  that  intrigues  were  being  carried 
on  against  him,  the  nature  of  which  he  could  only  sus- 
pect from  M.  Cochelet's  frequent  interviews  with  the 


92  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Viceroy  and  his  open  unfriendliness  to  the  Mission.  M. 
Cochelet  had  daringly  shown  his  animosity  by  declining, 
contrary  to  all  etiquette,  to  present  M.  Cremieux  to  the 
Viceroy. 

Sir  Moses  proved  equal  to  the  difficulties  of  the  situ- 
ation. The  embarrassment  of  Mehemet  Ali  in  respect 
to  Syria  was  becoming  daily  more  ci'itical,  and  it  was 
obvious  that,  while  there  was  still  a  hope  of  peace,  he 
would  not  care  to  strain  his  relations  with  the  Powers 
by  a  conflict  with  the  entire  consular  body.  Sir  Moses 
accordingly  arranged  that  another  petition  should  be 
drawn  up,  but  this  time  by  the  Consuls,  who  should 
present  it  in  person  to  the  Pasha.  This  move  had  its 
desired  effect.  The  day  before  the  petition  was  to  be 
presented  an  English  merchant  of  Alexandria,  Mr. 
Briggs,  called  upon  Sir  Moses  and  informed  him  that 
the  Pasha  was  willing  to  release  the  prisoners  provided 
the  whole  matter  was  allowed  to  fall  into  oblivion.  The 
Jewish  Mission  had  not  desired  merely  the  release  of  the 
Jews,  but  a  new  trial  to  enable  them  to  clear  their  char- 
acter. Considering,  however,  the  perturbed  political 
state  of  the  country,  Sir  Moses  agreed  to  waive  his 
demands  for  a  trial,  provided  Mehemet  Ali  discharged 
the  prisoners  at  once.  Mr.  Briggs  repeated  the  obser- 
vation to  Mehemet  Ali,  whereupon  His  Highness, 
still  under  the  influence  of  M.  Cochelet,  made  out  the 
Pirman  in  the  shape  of  a  pardon.  This  was,  of  course, 
not  acceptable  to  Sir  Moses,  who  returned  it,  with  the 
remark  that  the  discharge  must  be  granted  as  an  act  of 
justice,  or  he  should  not  be  able  to  accept  it  at  all. 
Ultimately  the  firmness  of  the  Jewish  champion  pre- 
vailed, and  the  Firman  was  amended  as  he  wished. 
Subsequently  an   order  of  general   protection   to   the 


Ttce  Mission  to  Mehemet  Ali.  93 

Jews  was  also  given,  together  with  permission  to  the 
members  of  the  Jewish  Mission  to  proceed  to  Damas- 
cus. At  a  concluding  interview  Mehemet  Ali  person- 
ally assured  the  Hebrew  embassy  of  his  complete  dis- 
belief of  the  Blood  Accusation, 

Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  his  colleagues  had  intended 
to  carry  the  Firman  themselves  to  Damascus,  but  their 
design  had  to  be  abandoned,  partly  in  consequence  of 
the  dangers  of  the  journey,  and  partly  because  it  was 
feared  that  an  outbreak  of  fanaticism  on  the  part  of  the 
Christians  might  follow  such  a  visit.  An  authenticated 
copy  of  the  order  of  release  was  forwarded  to  Sheriff 
Pasha  by  other  channels,  and  the  British  Consul  was 
requested  to  see  that  it  was  carried  out.  The  Firman 
arrived  on  the  6th  September.  M.  de  Ratti-Menton 
endeavored  for  a  time  to  oppose  its  execution,  but  un- 
availingly.  The  nine  prisoners — seven  of  whom  had 
become  crippled  for  life  by  the  tortures  to  which  they 
had  been  subjected — were  released,  and  it  was  publicly 
made  known  that  the  Jews  who  had  fled  might  return 
to  their  families.  To  a  large  proportion  of  the  Moliam- 
medan  population  the  Firman  gave  great  satisfaction, 
but  the  Christians  did  not  disguise  their  disappointment. 
With  solemn  pomp  they  erected  in  the  Church  of  the 
Capuchins,  over  the  mutton  bones  discovered  by  Ratti- 
Menton,  a  memorial  tablet,  setting  forth  that  beneath 
were  interred  the  remains  of  Father  Thomas,  "  who  had 
been  murdered  by  the  Jews." 

The  members  of  the  Jewish  Mission,  before  return- 
ing home,  attempted  to  sow  the  seeds  of  some  permanent 
improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  Eastern  Israelites. 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore  made  a  careful  study  of  their  po- 
litical arbitration  ;  M,  Cremieux  preached  to  them  of  the 


94  The  Life  of  Sir  Hoses  Montefiore. 

advantages  of  secular  education.  The  latter  then  left  for 
Europe,  and  received  a  perfect  ovation  on  his  liomeward 
journey. 

Sir  Moses  was  preparing  to  follow  liis  colleague's  ex- 
ample, when  a  change  in  the  })olitical  situation  necessi- 
tated an  alteration  in  his  plans.  An  open  rupture  had, 
at  last,  taken  place  between  Mehemet  Ali  and  the  Quad- 
ruple Alliance,  and  at  Kaleb-Medina  the  Egyptian  forces 
had  been  totally  defeated.  Alexandria  itself  was  block- 
aded by  Admiral  Napier,  and  at  Damascus  the  monks, 
taking  advantage  of  the  new  complications,  were  fiercely 
preaching  a  crusade  against  the  Jews.  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore rightly  judged  that,  to  accomplish  the  mission  with 
which  he  had  been  entrusted,  it  was  now  necessary  to 
obtain  from  the  new  master  of  Syria  the  same  assur- 
ances that  he  had  received  from  the  old.  He  accordingly 
sailed  for  Constantinople,  and  on  the  28th  October 
was  received  in  audience  by  the  Sultan,  Abdul-Medjid. 
He  has  himself  described  his  interview  with  the  Com- 
mander of  the  Faithful.  In  a  letter  to  the  Board  of 
Deputies  he  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  At  the  appointed  time,  accompanied  by  George 
Samuel,  Esq.,  D.  W.  Wire,  Esq.,  and  Dr.  Loewe,  with 
Frederick  Pisani,  Esq.,  first  Dragoman  to  the  British 
Embassy,  I  proceeded  to  the  palace.  We  went  in  state. 
On  our  arrival  we  were  saluted  by  a  guard  of  honor  and 
a  military  band,  and  ushered  into  an  elegant  aj^artment, 
where  H.E.  Rescind  Pasha  and  Riza  Pasha  awaited  our 
arrival.  Pipes  and  coffee  were  handed  round.  In  a 
few  minutes  an  officer  announced  that  his  Imperial 
Majesty  was  ready  to  receive  us.  Preceded  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  great  many  officers,  we  walked  across  a 
garden,  and  were  introduced  into  the  State  apartments, 


The  Mission  to  Meliemct  All,  95 

where  we  found  His  Majesty  seated.  We  advanced  to 
the  right,  when  the  great  oiSeers  of  State  took  their 
places  op  the  left  of  His  Majesty.  I  read  an  address, 
which  was  translated  into  Turkish  by  Mr.  Pisani.  His 
Majesty  made  a  most  gracious  reply,  which  was  after- 
wards reduced  into  writing,  and  sent  to  me  by  H.E. 
Rescind  Pasha.  As  soon  as  His  Majesty  had  finished 
his  reply,  he  requested  me  to  come  nearer  to  him,  when 
I  was  presented  by  H.E.  Reschid  Pasha,  and  His  Majesty 
then  desired  I  would  present  the  gentlemen  accompany- 
ing me,  which  I  did,  severally,  by  name.  Immediately 
we  retired  from  the  presence  we  were  conducted  to  a 
room  below,  where  sherbet  was  served  round,  and  we 
received  the  congratulations  of  the  ministers  present ; 
after  which  we  left  the  palace  and  returned  home,  in 
the  same  state  with  which  we  went.  Thus  ended  an 
audience  most  gratifying  to  my  feelings,  because  I  was 
assured  the  honor  conferred  upon  us  reflected  back  upon 
those  who  sent  us,  as  well  as  upon  all  our  co-religionists. 
This  is  my  apology  for  being  so  minute  in  detailing  cir- 
cumstances which  might  otherwise  appear  unimportant. 
I  have  not  yet  got  the  Firman,  but  I  have  no  reason  to 
doubt  that  I  shall  receive  it  in  sufiicient  time  to  enable 
me  to  leave  here  by  the  next  packet  for  Malta.  So  im- 
portant, however,  do  I  consider  it,  that  I  shall  not  hesi- 
tate to  make  a  further  sacrifice  of  my  comforts,  and 
winter  here  rather  than  leave  the  city  without  its  being 
in  my  possession." 

On  the  11th  November  he  received  the  Firman 
from  Reschid  Pasha.  In  this  document  not  only  is  the 
groundlessness  of  the  Blood  Accusation  demonstrated, 
but  the  equality  of  the  Jews  with  the  other  subjects  of 
the  Padishah  is  declared,  and  anv  molestation  of  them 


96  TJie  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

in  their  religions  or  temporal  concerns  prohibited.  Sir 
Moses  does  not  overrate  the  importance  of  this  Firman 
in  the  following  extract  from  one  of  his  letters  to  a 
friend  in  England : 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  Firman  will  be 
productive  of  lasting  benefit  to  our  people.  It  has  been 
received  with  joy  I  cannot  describe  by  those  to  whom  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  reading  it,  and  by  those  to  whom  its 
contents  were  made  known  during  the  course  of  our 
voyage.  ...  In  the  East  it  is  as  much  apj)reciated  as 
were  the  Acts  for  the  Repeal  of  the  Catholic  Disabilities 
and  the  Test  and  Corporation  Acts  at  home,  by  those 
who  were  interested  in  such  repeal.  It  is,  indeed,  the 
'  Magna  Charta '  for  the  Jews  in  the  Turkish  dominions. 
How  can  I  express  my  gratitude  to  Him  in  whose  hands 
are  all  our  affairs,  that  He  has  been  pleased  to  prosper 
our  labors,  and  enabled  us  to  vindicate  the  innocence  of 
our  brethren !  Thus  the  clouds  that  hung  over  them, 
and  which  for  a  time  threatened  to  obscure  the  bright- 
ness and  glory  of  our  religion,  have,  by  the  merciful 
goodness  of  God,  been  driven  away ;  I  trust  forever. 
And  I  pray  that  peace  may  now  be  upon  all  Israel !  I 
cannot  but  congratulate  you,  and  all  our  friends  in  Eng- 
land, upon  the  triumphant  success  which  has  attended 
our  labors.  Sustained  by  God — upheld  by  your  prayers 
and  sympathies — we  have  surmounted  many  difficulties, 
endured  much  privation  and  anxiety,  and  at  last  have 
been  rewarded  for  all,  by  the  assurance  that  we  have 
not  left  our  country  in  vain." 

Before  quitting  Constantinople  Sir  Moses  Montefiore 
devoted  considerable  attention  to  the  educational  wants 
of  his  brethren  in  the  Turkish  capital.  At  a  meeting 
of  the  principal  men  in  the   community  he  rebuked 


The  Mission  to  Me/iemet  Ali.  97 

tliem  for  their  unwisdom  in  concentrating  all  their 
energies  on  the  study  of  Hebrew,  without  giving  due 
attention  to  the  vernacular  of  the  land  in  which  they 
lived.  He  then  requested  Dr.  Loewe  to  draw  up  a  kind 
of  proclamation  to  the  Jews  of  the  Ottoman  Empire, 
pointing  out  the  importance  of  studying  the  Turkish 
language.  Copies  of  this  proclamation  were  distributed 
broadcast,  and  posted  on  the  portals  of  every  synagogue. 
Sagacious  statesmen  in  Turkey  cordially  approved  of  this 
action  of  Sir  Moses.  Rescind  Pasha  is  reported  to  have 
said  to  him,  "  If  you  had  done  nothing  more  than  this 
in  Constantinople,  you  should  consider  yourself  amply 
compensated  for  the  trouble  and  fatigue  you  have  un- 
dergone. In  advising  your  brethren  to  acquire  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  Turkish  language  you  have  been  instru- 
mental in  enabling  them  to  raise  themselves  to  some  of 
the  highest  offices  in  the  Empire."  Events  have  justi- 
fied this  remark  of  Abdul-Medjid's  shrewd  Yizier.  To- 
day many  posts  of  dignity  and  usefulness  at  the  Sublime 
Porte  are  occupied  by  Jews. 

On  his  way  home  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  with  charac- 
teristic thoroughness,  gave  two  more  finishing-touches  to 
the  great  work  he  had  so  happily  completed.  At  Pome 
he  saw  Cardinal  Pivarola,  the  head  of  the  Capuchin 
Order,  and  obtained  from  him  a  promise  that  instruc- 
tions should  be  sent  to  Damascus,  commanding  the 
removal  of  the  memorial  tablet  to  Father  Thomas, 
which  described  the  Padre  as  having  been  murdered  by 
Jews.  The  order  was  sent,  but  the  Damascus  monks 
disregarded  it,  and  for  twenty  years  the  stone  with  its 
lying  inscription  was  allowed  to  remain.  At  Paris  Sir 
Moses  was  presented  to  the  French  King  by  the  British 
Ambassador,  and  handed  to  His  Majesty  a  copy  of  the 
5 


98  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefim^e. 

Sultan's  Firman  declaring  the  innocence  of  the  Damas- 
cus Jews.  Louis  Philippe  congratulated  the  Jewish 
champion  on  the  success  he  had  achieved,  although  he 
could  not  but  have  felt  some  degree  of  humiliation  in 
doing  so.  It  was  not  only  that  the  Firman  marked  the 
defeat  of  French  ambitions  in  the  East,  but  the  circum- 
stances of  the  interview  itself  seemed  full  of  sly  mock- 
ery at  the  mistakes  of  France.  That  a  Jew  should  read 
a  lesson  on  toleration  to  a  French  monarch  was  in  itself 
bad  enough,  but  that  he  should  read  this  lesson  on  the 
authority  of  a  Turkish  Sultan,  who  had  just  got  the 
better  of  France  in  a  political  struggle,  must  have  been 
extremely  awkward. 

In  England  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  was  received  with 
great  rejoicings.  A  Day  of  Thanksgiving  was  ap- 
pointed for  the  8th  March,  1841,  and  special  services 
were  held  in  the  Synagogues.  A  testimonial  monument 
in  silver  designed  by  Sir  G.  Hayter,  and  measuring 
three  and  a  half  feet  in  height,  was  presented  to  him  by 
the  Jews,  and  the  Queen  showed  a  graceful  apprecia- 
tion of  his  labors  by  granting  him  permission  to  add 
supporters  to  his  arms,  a  privilege  usually  only  accorded 
to  peers  and  knights  of  orders.  All  over  Europe  and 
America,  and  even  in  the  far  East,  the  Jews  celebrated 
with  enthusiasm  the  success  of  their  champion.  In 
Germany  it  was  proposed  to  institute  a  new  Purim  in 
his  honor,  and  Isaac  Erter,  the  most  elegant  of  modern 
Hebrew  stylists,  wrote  a  considerable  portion  of  a  work 
in  Biblical  verse  to  be  read  in  the  Synagogue  on  each 
anniversary,  as  the  Book  of  Esther  is  read  on  the  day 
which  connnemorates  the  defeat  of  the  conspiracy  of 
Haman. 

The  Jews  did  not  overestimate  the  significance  of  Sir 


The  Mission  to  Mehemet  Ali.  99 

Moses'  triumpli.  It  has  had  far-reaching  consequences 
in  Hebrew  history,  the  beneficial  effects  of  which  are 
still  unexhausted.  "  Damascus "  became  the  watch- 
word of  a  new  struggle  for  freedom,  which  reached  from 
the  shores  of  the  Persian  Gulf  to  the  banks  of  the 
Thames — a  struggle  to  throw  off  not  only  political 
shackles  but  the  demoralizing  effects  of  centuries  of 
persecution.  It  taught  the  Jews  the  necessity  of  a 
common  effort  to  raise  themselves  to  the  level  of 
modern  culture,  so  that  not  only  might  they  win  a 
political  equality  with  their  fellow-men,  but  that  their 
traditions  might  be  worthily  sustained.  It  founded 
Jewish  solidarity  on  a  new  and  intelligent  basis,  and  to- 
day the  AUiajice  Israelite  Universelle,  with  its  brilliant 
record  of  political  successes  and  its  network  of  schools 
covering  the  East  from  Bagdad  to  Salonica,  is  its 
practical  outcome. 

The  Jewish  triumph  derived  no  small  amount  of  its 
lustre  from  the  straightforwardness  and  honesty  with 
which  it  had  been  obtained.  Amid  the  dark  intrigues 
of  the  Eastern  imbroglio  of  1840  the  conduct  of  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  and  his  colleagues  is  one  of  the  few 
circumstances  on  which  the  mind  can  dwell  with  pleas- 
ure. More  than  one  offer  of  venal  assistance  was  made 
to  them,  but  they  were  scornfully  rejected.  The  rich 
and  vivacious  table-talk  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  com- 
prises no  more  striking  anecdote  than  that  in  which 
he  is  wont  to  relate  how  he  subsequently  repelled  the 
charge  that  the  Firman  of  the  12th  Kamazan  had 
been  bought.  In  the  course  of  his  negotiations  with 
Cardinal  Antonelli  on  the  Mortara  affair  he  had  occa- 
sion to  refer  to  the  Firman,  whereupon  the  Cardinal 
slyly  asked  how  much  of  Eothschild's  gold  he  had  paid 


100  The  LJfe  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

for  it?  "Not  so  mucli,"  warmly  answered  Sir  Moses, 
"  as  I  gave  jour  lackej  for  hanging  up  my  coat  in  your 
hall." 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

FIVE  TEAKS  OF  HOME  WORK. 

Synagogal  Labors. — Sir  Moses'  Popularity. — Visits  to  the  Congrega- 
tional Schools. — He  helps  to  promote  Education  in  the  Jewish 
Community. — Jews'  College,  the  Jews'  Hospital,  and  the  Free 
School. — The  Board  of  Deputies. — Its  Constitution  and  Functions. 
— Sir  Moses  Corresponds  with  Sir  James  Graham  and  Sir  Robert 
Peel  in  respect  to  Various  Bills  before  Parliament. — Foreign 
Affairs. — The  Holy  Land. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  Establishes  a 
Loan  Fund,  a  Printing  Establishment,  and  a  Linen  Factory  at 
Jerusalem. — Assists  Agricultural  Schemes,  and  Founds  a  Free 
Dispensary. — He  Raises  a  Relief  Fund  for  the  Jews  of  Smyrna. — 
Promotes  the  Building  of  a  Khan  at  Beyrout. — The  Blood  Accu- 
sation at  Marmora. — Sir  Moses  IMontefiore  and  Sir  Stratford  Can- 
ning.— The  Jews  of  Morocco. — Correspondence  with  Bokhara. 
— The  "  Reform"  Movement  in  the  Anglo- Jewish  Community. 

MiscELLAisTEOus  work  in  the  community  at  home  oc- 
cupied the  next  five  years  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's 
life.  This  was  the  work  nearest  his  heart,  and  he  de- 
voted to  it  all  his  energies.  To  labor  for  the  ancient 
Synagogue  round  which  so  many  solemn  traditions  gath- 
ered, to  assist  in  administering  the  affairs  of  its  depend- 
ent institutions — monuments  to  the  benevolence  and  in- 
telligence of  his  own  kith  and  kin — were  almost  passions 
with  him.  He  attended  the  meetings  of  every  institu- 
tion to  which  he  belonged  with  old-world  punctuality. 
In  the  President's  chair  at  the  Board  of  Deputies  he 


Five  Years  of  Home  Work.  101 

represented  the  political  interests  of  tiis  brethren  with 
dignity  and  zeal.  The  Synagogue  knew  no  more  fa- 
miliar figure  than  his.  On  Sabbath  mornings,  when  in 
town,  he  would  religiously  walk  from  Park  Lane  to 
Bevis  Marks,  accomnanied  by  his  affectionate  wife,  the 
Law  prohibiting  riding  on  the  Day  of  Rest.  In  the 
afternoons  he  generally  attended  Mincha  service  at  the 
Western  Synagogue  of  the  German  Jews  in  St.  Alban's 
Place,  St.  James'.  At  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing 
he  had  already  been  four  times  Pamass,  or  Warden 
President,  of  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  congregation, 
viz.,  in  1819,  1826,  1832,  and  1810. 

His  co-religionists  recognized  his  piety,  and  repaid  his 
devotion  to  their  interests  with  affectionate  homage.  In 
the  small  community  which  centred  at  Bevis  Marks  he 
was  regarded  almost  as  another  "  Prince  of  the  Captiv- 
ity," and  he  acknowledged  this  high  estimation  of  him- 
self by  a  generous  discharge  of  the  responsibilities  of 
his  implied  seigniory.  One  of  the  sights  of  the  London 
Jewery  forty  years  ago  was  his  annual  visit  to  the 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  Congregational  Schools.  This 
always  occurred  at  Purim  time,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
distribution  of  prizes.  It  was  the  great  gala  day  of  the 
institution.  The  classes  would  assemble  in  their  full 
strength  to  receive  him,  as,  beaming  with  smiles,  and 
bowing  right  and  left,  he  made  a  kind  of  Royal  prog- 
ress of  the  establishment,  the  boys  and  girls  meanwhile 
singing  a  hymn  of  welcome  in  their  lustiest  tones.  Lady 
Montefiore  and  Dr.  Loewe  usually  accompanied  him  on 
these  pleasant  pilgrimages,  and  behind  him  marched  the 
Beadle  of  the  Synagogue,  Mr.  Genese,  carrying  a  heavy 
bag  of  newly-minted  silver  coin,  the  clink  of  which  sent 
a  thrill  through  the  school.     When  the  formal  business 


102  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

of  the  day  liad  been  disposed  of,  and  tlie  prizes  distrib- 
uted, Sir  Moses  would  deliver  a  brief  address,  and  then 
each  of  the  pupils,  over  three  hundred  in  number, 
would  be  called  up  to  receive  a  present — ranging  from 
a  florin  to  a  crown  piece — from  the  "  lucky  bag"  cai'ried 
by  the  Beadle.  With  each  present  came  a  hearty  shake 
of  the  hand  and  a  cordial  "  I  wish  you  a  merry  Purim." 
The  less  bashful  scholars  would  answer,  "Thank  you. 
Sir  Moses,  I  wish  you  the  same ;"  whereupon  the  philan- 
thropist would  say,  "  Thanks ;  I  hope  we  shall  all  be 
happy,"  with  grave  emphasis  on  the  "  all."  Lady  Mon- 
tefiore was  passionately  fond  of  childi-en,  and  she  would 
pet  and  caress  the  younger  pupils  as  they  toddled  up  to 
the  platform  to  receive  their  present;  sometimes  she 
would  take  them  in  her  lap  and  kiss  them.  No  one  was 
forgotten  on  these  happy  Purim  visits.  "When  the 
"  lucky  bag"  was  emptied,  there  were  equally  lucky 
slips  of  paper  for  the  teachers,  and  a  golden  guinea  or 
so  for  the  door-keeper.  To  this  day  the  ceremony  is 
continued  by  a  representative  of  the  venerable  baronet. 

Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  activity  in  the  promotion  of 
education  was  not  confined  to  these  schools,  or  even  to 
the  Sephardi  "  nation."  He  had  been,  in  earlier  years, 
a  governor  of  the  "  Beth  Hamedrash,"  or  Talmudic  Col- 
lege, founded  in  1734  by  the  pious  Benjamin  Meudes 
da  Costa,  and  he  continued  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the 
work  of  that  institution.  The  theological  literature  re- 
sulting from  the  studies  pursued  within  its  walls  found 
in  him  a  generous  patron.  He  particularly  encouraged 
the  Kev.  D.  A.  de  Sola  in  his  literary  enterprises,  and 
the  subject  and  plan  of  that  gentleman's  useful  work 
on  "The  Blessings"  originated  with  him. 

Of  Jews'  College,  a  theological  seminary  established 


Five  Years  of  Home  Work.  103 

some  years  later  by  leading  members  of  the  German 
commmiity,  he  was  one  of  the  founders.  The  scheme 
originated  in  1838,  but  it  was  only  after  the  return  from 
Damascus,  in  1841,  that  any  measures  were  taken  for 
its  realization.  Mr.  Jacob  Frankhn,  the  editor  of  the 
Voice  of  Jacoh,  was  its  most  active  promoter,  and  it  was 
his  wish  that  it  should  be  established  as  a  memorial  of 
the  success  of  the  Jewish  Mission  to  Mehemet  Ali.  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  wrote  to  Mr.  Franklin  from  Constan- 
tinople approving  the  plan,  and  when,  on  his  return  to 
England,  he  paid  over  to  the  treasurers  of  the  Damascus 
Fund  a  personal  contribution  of  £2200  towards  the  ex- 
penses of  his  Mission,  Mr.  Franklin  vcjy  reasonably  sug- 
gested that  this  sum  should  be  utilized  for  the  purposes 
of  the  proposed  college.  The  growing  differences  in 
the  community  at  the  time  prevented  the  realization  of 
the  project,  and  Sir  Moses'  £2200  were  distributed 
among  the  contributors  to  the  Damascus  Fund  as  repre- 
senting a  surplus  in  the  accounts.  It  was  not  until  1845, 
when  Dr.  Adler  was  appointed  Chief  Eabbi,  that  the 
scheme  was  revived,  and  then  still  eleven  years  elapsed 
before  it  was  carried  into  effect.  When,  ultimately, 
the  College  was  started  in  1856,  Dr.  Adler  and  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore,  to  whose  exertions  its  establishment 
was  in  a  great  measure  due,  became  respectively  its 
President  and  Yice-President. 

In  the  Jews'  Free  School  and  the  Jews'  Hospital,  two 
more  educational  establishments  of  the  German  Jews, 
Sir  Moses  also  took  considerable  interest.  At  the  time 
of  which  we  are  writing  he  had  passed  the  President's 
chair  of  both  institutions.  Of  the  latter,  a  creation  of 
the  Goldsmids,  he  was  elected  President  in  1837,  suc- 
ceeding his   relative,  Mr.  Sheriff,  afterwards  Sir  David 


104:  TJie  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Salomons.  In  1843,  when  the  Duke  of  Sussex  died, 
he  was  instrumental  in  persuading  the  late  Duke  of 
Cambridge  to  succeed  his  brother  as  a  patron  of  the 
institution.  Also,  in  the  provinces,  Sir  Moses  was  an 
active  worker  in  the  cause  of  education.  The  same 
year  that  he  interviewed  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  in  the 
interests  of  the  Jews'  Hospital,  he  laid  the  foundation- 
stone  of  the  Hebrew  ^National  Schools,  at  Birmingham, 
and  in  the  following  year  he  presided  at  their  formal 
opening. 

During  his  temporary  absence  in  the  East  in  1840 
his  place  as  President  of  the  Board  of  Deputies  had 
been  filled  by  Mr.  Hananel  de  Castro ;  but  immediately 
on  his  return  to  England  he  was  re-elected  by  acclama- 
tion. The  Deputados  had  special  reasons  for  holding 
Sir  Moses  in  high  esteem,  independent  of  the  considera- 
tion that  his  mission  to  Damascus  had  earned  for  him  a 
fame  which  reflected  upon  the  body  over  which  he  pre- 
sided. It  was  due  to  his  intelligent  administration  that 
the  Board  had  become  the  most  important  representative 
body  in  the  Anglo-Jewish  community.  No  sooner  had 
he  been  elected  its  President  in  1835,  than  he  set  him- 
self to  remodel  its  constitution  in  such  a  way  as  to  make 
it  the  accredited  mouth-piece  of  the  Jews  of  England. 
At  his  instance  a  scheme  was  elaborated  for  admitting 
to  the  Board  delegates  from  every  Jewish  congregation 
that  might  desire  the  privilege  of  being  represented ; 
and  this  not  only  enhanced  the  importance  of  the  Board, 
but  it  had  the  larger  effect  of  promoting  and  consohdat- 
ing  the  union  of  the  community  for  political  purposes. 
A  mass  of  miscellaneous  business  of  a  highly  important 
kind  now  occupied  the  Board.  Under  the  Marriage 
Acts  it  became  the  duty  of  its  President  to  certify  Syna- 


Five  Years  of  Home  Work.  106 

gogue  secretaries  as  registrars  for  marriage  purposes  ; 
and  this  imparted  to  it  a  certain  official  standing,  whicb 
no  otlier  Jewish  institution  enjoyed.  Under  the  provi- 
sions of  the  constitution  of  the  old  Committee  of  Dili- 
gence, of  which  it  was  the  heir,  it  had  to  watch  the 
progress  of  legislation  at  home,  in  order  to  safeguard 
Jewish  interests ;  while  in  consequence  of  the  exhaustion 
of  the  Cautivos  Fund  of  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
Congregation,  the  duty  devolved  upon  it  of  receiving 
and  considering  such  appeals  as  were  formerly  addressed 
to  that  body  by  oppressed  foreign  Jewish  commimities. 

Upon  the  multifarious  duties  arising  from  these  func- 
tions Sir  Moses  entered  immediately  on  his  re-election 
to  the  Presidency.  In  addition  to  taking  part  in  the 
various  measures  promoted  by  the  Board  for  sustaining 
the  Civil  and  Kehgious  Liberty  agitation,  he  was  inde- 
fatigable in  pressing  upon  Government  Jewish  griev- 
ances and  claims  in  respect  to  minor  legislative  mat- 
ters. Thus,  in  1842,  we  find  him  corresponding  with, 
and  interviewing  Sir  James  Graham  on  the  operation 
of  the  Poor  Laws,  by  which  pauper  Jews  were  excluded 
from  out-door  relief.  During  the  same  year  he  induced 
Sir  Robert  Peel  to  introduce  a  clause  into  the  Income 
Tax  Bill,  placing  Jewish  Synagogues  on  an  equal 
footing  with  other  places  of  worship  in  respect  to  im- 
posts on  property  and  income.  In  the  following  year 
again  he  was  in  correspondence  with  Sir  James  Graham 
on  the  subject  of  a  Burials  Bill  and  a  Factory  Bill.  In 
almost  every  instance  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  valuable 
concessions  for  his  co-religionists. 

The  foreign  business  of  the  Board  had  a  more  especial 
attraction  for  him  ;  for  he  alone  of  all  its  members  knew 
how  real  were  the  hardships  of  Jemsh  life  in  the  Ghettos 


106  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejiore. 

of  the  Continent  and  the  East.  It  so  happened,  that, 
as  the  Deputies  had  no  funds  of  their  own — their  annual 
expenses  were  assessed  on  the  Synagogues  they  repre- 
sented— and  could  not  therefore  act  with  the  requisite 
promptitude  in  emergencies  when  immediate  relief  was 
required,  the  larger  portion  of  the  foreign  business  fell 
to  Sir  Moses'  personal  administration,  which  was  un- 
hampered by  circumlocutory  statutes  and  standing 
orders.  His  name,  too,  was  so  much  better  known 
abroad  than  that  of  the  Board,  that  in  the  majority  of 
cases  the  appeals  were  addressed  direct  to  him  in  his 
private  capacity,  and  only  brought  under  the  notice  of 
the  Board  when  public  action  became  necessary.  This 
was  especially  the  case  with  the  business  connected  with 
the  Holy  Land. 

The  changes  in  the  suzerainty  of  Syria  having  de- 
feated for  a  time  the  agricultural  schemes  he  had  elabo- 
rated in  1837,  Sir  Moses  endeavored  by  other  means 
to  effect  an  amelioration  in  the  lot  of  the  Palestinian 
Hebrews.  In  1842  Colonel  Churchill,  whose  acquaint- 
ance he  had  made  in  the  East,  addressed  to  him  some 
very  interesting  letters,  proposing  that  efforts  should 
be  made  by  the  Jews  of  Europe  to  promote  a  re-estab- 
lishment of  the  Kingdom  of  Judah  in  Palestine.  Sir 
Moses,  who  is  a  devout  believer  in  the  literal  restora- 
tion, answered  Colonel  Churchill  sympathetically,  but 
expressed  his  opinion  that  the  time  was  hardly  ripe  for 
a  practical  consideration  of  the  project.  At  the  same 
time  as  Colonel  Churchill  was  about  returning  to  the 
East  for  a  stay  of  several  years,  he  asked  him  to  take 
charge  of  a  fund  he  was  desirous  of  providing,  for  the 
promotion  of  thrift  among  the  Jews  of  the  Holy  Land, 
by  advancing  loans  to  the  industrious  poor  in  amounts 


Five  Years  of  Home  Work.  lOY 

varying  between  500  and  1000  piastres.  During  the 
same  year  he  labored  assiduously  to  introduce  useful 
industries  among  the  Jews  of  Palestine.  He  sent  a 
printing-press  to  Jerusalem,  which  gave  employment 
to  several  persons,  and  produced  many  useful  works,  and 
he  also  established  a  linen  manufactory  on  a  considera- 
ble scale,  with  a  girls'  school  attached  to  it.  To  insure 
the  factory  being  conducted  on  the  best  modem  prin- 
ciples, he  sent  out  a  technical  instructor  to  take  charge 
of  it,  and  had  three  native  Jews  brought  to  England, 
and  taught  the  art  of  weaving  at  Preston.  The  needle- 
women and  laundresses  of  the  Holy  City  he  also  as- 
sisted to  carry  on  their  trades  efficiently ;  and,  with  a 
view  to  attaching  the  Jews  of  Safed,  Tiberias,  Hebron, 
and  Jaffa  more  firmly  to  husbandry,  he  supplied  them 
with  oxen  and  all  the  necessary  appliances  of  agricul- 
ture. The  charitable  requirements  of  the  communities 
were  also  not  neglected.  Among  many  other  matters. 
Sir  Moses  took  a  deep  interest  in  a  scheme  put  forth  in 
1842  by  Dr.  Philippson,  of  Magdebm-g,  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Jewish  hospital  at  Jerusalem.  Appeals 
for  subscriptions  were  issued,  and  Sir  Moses  had  the 
necessary  architectural  plans  prepared.  The  realization 
of  the  project,  however,  lagged,  and,  as  there  was  at 
the  time  much  sickness  in  the  Holy  City,  Sii*  Moses,  at 
his  own  cost,  despatched  thither  a  medical  man.  Dr. 
Friinkel,  and  established  a  dispensary,  which  he  has 
ever  since  maintained.  The  large  amount  of  good 
achieved  by  this  prompt  act^n  is  sufficiently  illustrated 
by  the  fact,  that  the  very  first  day  the  dispensary  was 
opened  sixty  patients  were  treated,  and  the  number  in- 
creased daily. 

But  it  was  not  only  the  Jews  of  the  Holy  Land  for 


108  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

whom  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  labored.  A  few  months 
after  his  return  from  Constantinople,  a  disastrous  fire 
destroyed  the  Jewish  quarter  of  Smyrna.  Urgent  ap- 
peals were  addressed  to  the  Western  communities,  and 
Sir  Moses  raised  a  considerable  Relief  Fund.  Two 
years  later  he  interested  himself  in  a  project  for  build- 
ing a  Khan  for  Jewish  travellers  at  Beyi'out,  which  was 
successfully  carried  out.  In  ISM  the  Blood  Accusa- 
tion was  revived  in  the  island  of  Marmora.  Sir  Moses 
placed  the  facts  of  the  case  before  Sir  Stratford  Can- 
ning, who  had  succeeded  Lord  Ponsonby  as  British 
Ambassador  to  the  Porte,  and  he  procured  a  pubhc 
trial  at  Constantinople,  which  resulted  in  the  acquittal 
of  the  accused.  Sir  Moses  took  the  opportunity  af- 
forded by  his  correspondence  with  "  the  great  Eltchi" 
to  induce  him  to  give  some  attention  to  the  condition 
of  the  Hebrews  in  the  Ottoman  Empire.  Sir  Stratford 
received  his  representations  very  cordially,  and  a  month 
or  two  later  was  enabled  to  report  that  he  had  prevailed 
upon  the  Turkish  Government  to  make  a  grant  of  land 
to  the  poor  of  Constantinople  for  a  new  burial-ground, 
of  which  they  stood  in  need.  The  Jews  of  Morocco, 
Tripoli,  Tunis,  and  Persia  appealed  in  turn  to  Sir 
Moses  at  this  period,  and  were  all  more  or  less  as- 
sisted. In  1845  he  memorialized  the  Emperor  of  Mo- 
rocco to  grant  his  Jewish  subjects  the  same  rights  as 
had  been  guaranteed  to  the  Jews  of  Turkey,  under  the 
Firman  of  the  12th  Eamazan,  and  received  a  satisfac- 
tory reply — satisfactory,  that  is,  as  far  as  promises  were 
concerned.  So  extensive  had  his  influence  in  the  East 
become  at  this  time,  that  when  Colonel  Stoddart  and 
Captain  Conolly  were  thrown  into  prison  by  the  Emir 
Kazmllah,  of  Bokhara,  the  British  Government  made 


Five  Years  of  Home  Worh.  109 

strenuous  efforts  to  convey  a  letter  from  him  to  the 
Jews  of  the  Khanate,  asking  them  to  interest  them- 
selves in  the  fate  of  the  English  emissaries.  Unfortu- 
natelj  the  letter  only  arrived  after  they  had  been  put 
to  death,  but  in  one  sense  it  had  the  desired  effect. 
The  warm  terms  in  which  it  was  couched  led  the  Bok- 
hara Jews  to  imagine  that  the  English  oflBcers  were  fel- 
low-Israelites, and  they  "  interested  themselves  in  their 
fate"  to  the  extent  of  mourning  their  loss  in  the  syna- 
gogues. 

In  work  of  this  description  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  not 
only  gratified  his  philanthropic  tastes,  but  found  relief 
from  the  cares  and  anxieties  which  at  this  time,  more 
than  at  any  other  period  of  his  career,  beset  his  jDosition 
in  the  Anglo-Jewish  community.  Towards  the  middle 
of  1841,  a  schism  had  taken  place  among  the  English 
Jews,  and  a  congregation  in  the  West-end  of  London 
had  been  started  on  lines  differing  somewhat  from  those 
which  had  guided  the  foundation  of  the  City  synagogues 
two  hundred  years  before.  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  whose 
orthodoxy  has  ever  been  of  the  most  rigid  type,  strongly 
opposed  the  new  movement,  and  the  community  became 
a  prey  to  the  bitterest  dissensions.  In  comparing  to- 
day the  so-called  "  Eeform"  synagogue  with  the  Ortho- 
dox Jewish  congregations,  it  is  difficult  to  understand 
how  such  a  movement  could  have  caused  the  commo- 
tion it  did  at  the  time  of  its  inception.  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  himseK  was  not  uncompromisingly  wedded 
to  the  old  order  of  things,  notwithstanding  that  he  led 
the  Orthodox  party  on  this  occasion.  We  have  seen, 
for  example,  how  he  disapproved  of  the  ancient  differ- 
ences between  the  Spanish  and  German  congregations, 
and  he  gave  a  further  and  emphatic  illustration  of  his 


110  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

opinion  on  this  subject  in  1845,  by  proceeding  to 
Dover  to  receive,  on  behalf  of  the  Jews  of  England, 
the  new  "German"  Chief  Kabbi,  Dr.  K  M.  Adler, 
on  his  arrival  in  this  country.  One  of  the  grounds, 
too,  on  which  the  new  synagogue  was  opposed,  was, 
that  it  violated  an  ancient  statute  of  the  Bevis  Marks 
congregation,  prohibiting  the  establishment  of  district 
synagogues;  and  yet,  in  1844,  Sir  Moses  himself  pro- 
moted the  establishment  of  a  Western  branch  of  the 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  Synagogue,  by  offering  £5000 
towards  the  expense  of  its  erection.  The  fact  seems 
to  have  been,  that  the  Orthodox  party  was  actuated 
rather  by  vague  fears  of  what  might  take  place  if  a 
dissatisfied  section  of  the  community  were  to  establish 
a  synagogue  independent  of  the  constituted  authorities, 
than  of  disapproval  of  what  was  actually  contemplated 
by  the  seceders — fears  that  have  been  amj)ly  justified 
by  the  dangerous  coui'se  since  pursued  by  Jewish  Re- 
form in  America  and  elsewhere.  The  "  Reform"  move- 
ment in  England,  however,  turned  out  to  be  little 
more  than  a  premature  anticipation  of  the  natural 
progress  of  forty  years.  How  mild  it  was  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact,  that  when  Dr.  Frankel,  the  reforming  Chief 
Rabbi  of  Dresden,  was  asked  to  place  himself  at  its  head, 
he  declined  on  the  score  that  it  did  not  contemplate 
changes  of  a  sufficiently  radical  character;  and,  a  few 
years  ago.  Professor  Marks,  the  Chief  Minister  of  the 
West  London  Congi-egation  of  British  Jews — as  the  new 
synagogue  called  itself — publicly  declared,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hermann  Adler,  the  Delegate  Chief 
Rabbi,  that  there  would  have  been  no  secession  in  1841 
had  the  Orthodox  synagogue  then  been  as  it  is  now.  At 
the  present  time,  there  is  little  appreciable  difference 


The  Jewish  Qtiestion  in  Hussia.  Ill 

between  the  various  synagogues  of  Great  Britain.  The 
Jews  of  England,  as  a  body,  are  the  most  orthodox  and 
united  of  Occidental  Jewish  communities ;  and  it  is  in 
no  complimentary  spirit,  but  as  indicative  of  an  impor- 
tant and  undeniable  fact,  that  all  classes  among  them 
concur  to-day  in  paying  homage  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 
They  recognize  in  him  the  most  representative  of  Eng- 
lish Jews — a  thorough  embodiment  of  their  views  and 
aspirations. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

THE   JEWISH    QUESTION    IN    EUSSIA. 

Oppressed  Condition  of  the  Jews  of  Russia. — Seriousness  of  the 
Russo- Jewish  Question.  —Its  Origin  Religious,  not  Secular. — The 
Modern  Charges  Refuted  by  History. — Review  of  Russo- Jewish 
History. — First  Settlements  of  the  Jews  in  the  South. — Conversion 
of  the  Khozars  to  Judaism. — A  Jewisli  Kingdom  in  Russia. — The 
Civilizing  Influences  of  the  Jews. — Inroads  of  the  Tartars  and 
Extinction  of  the  Khozars. — Jewish  Settlements  in  the  West. — 
Their  Privileges. — Gratifying  Results  of  Jewish  Colonization. — 
Numerousness  of  the  Polish  Jews  a  Source  of  Congratulation  by 
Native  Historians. — The  Russian  Prince  Sviatopolk.  Invites  the 
Jews  into  his  Dominions. — The  Jews  held  in  High  Esteem  by  the 
People. — They  Serve  in  the  Army. — They  Proselytize  on  an  Ex- 
tensive Scale. — Judaism  Embraced  by  the  Metropolitan  of  the 
Greek  Church. — With  the  Rise  of  the  Power  of  the  Church  the 
Privileges  of  the  Jews  are  Curtailed. — Three  Centuries  of  Ghetto 
Life. — Four  Millions  of  Jews  still  Oppressed. 

The  sessions  of  the  Board  of  Deputies  (1S41 — 46), 
referred  to  in  our  last  chapter,  were  particularly  notable 
for  their  connection  with  the  Jewish  Question  in  Russia 


112  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

— the  most  serious  question  of  modern  Jewish  history. 
Tlirough  a  correspondence  opened  with  Sir  Moses 
Montetiore  in  181:2,  tlie  Western  Hebrews  were  for  the 
first  time  made  aware  of  the  terrible  condition  of  their 
Russian  co-religionists;  and,  in  the  subsequent  action 
of  the  Board  of  Deputies,  the  foundations  were  laid  of 
the  movement  for  their  relief  which  has  ever  since  been 
gallantly  carried  on  in  the  happier  countries  of  Europe. 
The  Russo-Jewish  Question  is  something  more  than  a 
Jewish  or  even  a  Russian  Question.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  problems  presented  by  the  complex 
phenomena  of  modern  society ;  and  it  appeals  loudly  to 
the  humanitarian  sense  of  civilized  Europe  for  a  speedy 
and  equitable  solution. 

The  ostensible  reason  for  the  oppression  and  perse- 
cution of  the  Jews  of  Russia  is  that  they  constitute  a 
pernicious  element  in  the  Empire ;  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
they  are  the  victims  of  religious  hatred.  The  struggle 
between  Judaism  and  Christianity  has  been  more  serious 
in  Russia  than  in  any  other  country  ;  and,  consequently, 
the  hatred  of  the  Jew  has  become  more  deeply  rooted 
in  the  national  sentiment.  How  unfounded  is  the  popu- 
lar theory  of  the  Russo-Jewish  Question  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that,  whenever  the  Jews  in  Russia  were  politi- 
cally unrestricted,  they  exerted  a  distinctly  beneficial 
influence  on  the  country.  Their  history  is,  indeed,  at 
every  step  a  refutation  of  the  charges  now  brought 
against  them. 

About  the  year  726  Leo  the  Isaurian,  Emperor  of 
Byzantium,  published  at  Constantinople  his  celebrated 
Edict  against  Image  Worship.  The  clergy  and  monks 
rebelled,  and  the  Emperor  was  on  all  sides  denounced 
as  a  Jew.     In  order  to  show  that,  notwithstanding  his 


The  Jewish  Question  in  Russia.  113 

enlightened  opposition  to  miracle-working  fetiches  he 
was  in  other  respects  a  good  Christian,  Leo  attempted 
to  persecute  the  Jews  into  embracing  the  Cross.  Many 
conversions  were  effected ;  but  a  large  number  of  the 
Hebrews,  whose  ancestors  had  established  themselves 
in  the  land  long  before  Christianity,  fled  further  afield, 
to  seek  an  asylum  among  the  more  tolerant  pagans. 
Thus  it  came  about  that  Jewish  settlements  were 
formed  in  the  Cimmerian  Peninsula  of  Tauris  (the 
modern  Crimea),  and  Hebrew  communities  were 
founded  at  Theodosia  (now  Kaffa),  Kareon polls  (Eski 
Krim),  Phanegoria  (Taman),  and  Bosphorus  (Kertch). 
From  the  Crimea  these  Grseco-Jewish  communities 
spread  to  the  Caucasus,  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  the  Mouth 
of  the  Yolga.  These  are  the  first  authentic  appearances 
of  the  Jews  on  Russian  soil. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  region  thus  invaded  were  the 
Khozars,  or  Togarmi  (as  they  subsequently  called  them- 
selves), a  Finnish  tribe,  who,  after  the  break-up  of  the 
Empire  of  the  Huns,  had  established  themselves  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Astrachan,  whence  they  had  gradually 
extended  a  powerful  dominion.  Successful  in  a  war 
with  the  Persians,  they  disputed  the  sovereignty  of  the 
East  with  the  Byzantine  Emperors,  and  both  the  Bul- 
gars  and  Russins  paid  them  tribute.  Upon  this  semi- 
barbarous  people  the  Jews  exercised  the  happiest 
influence,  and  ultimately  one  of  their  sages,  Isaac  San- 
gari,  converted  their  King,  Bulan,  and  a  large  portion 
of  the  nation,  to  Judaism.  In  a  subsequent  reign,  that 
of  a  King  named  Obadiah,  Judaism  was  formally  ac- 
knowledged as  the  religion  of  the  State.  Learned  Jews 
crowded  the  Court ;  synagogues  were  built  and  public 
colleges  established  foi'  the  study  of  the  Bible  and  Tal- 


114  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

mud.  While  the  West  and  South  were  distracted  by 
an  anarchy  of  sectarian  wrangling,  and  the  North  and 
East  were  shrouded  in  an  impenetrable  shadow  of  bar- 
barism, the  shores  of  the  Caspian  and  the  Euxiue  flour- 
ished in  the  benignant  light  of  a  Jewish  civilization. 

The  Jews  persuaded  the  Khozars  to  abolish  slavery, 
to  tolerate  all  races  and  religions,  to  acknowledge  the 
sanctity  of  family  ties,  and  to  cultivate  literature  and 
the  sciences.  One  of  their  kings,  Joseph,  corresponded 
with  Chasdai  Ibn-Shaprut,  the  famous  Jewish  Yizier 
of  the  Caliph  Abderraliman  III.,  of  Cordova.  The 
power  of  this  Jewish  State  increased  rapidly.  Even 
the  Byzantine  Emperors  paid  tribute  to  it,  and  there 
was  at  one  time  a  chance  of  Khozar-Judaism  spreading 
all  over  Russia.  The  country  was,  however,  saved  to 
Christianity  by  Sviatoslav  of  Kiev,  the  Charles  Martel 
of  Muscovy,  who  in  965,  on  the  field  of  Sarkel,  inflicted 
a  severe  check  on  the  power  of  the  Togarmi.  From 
this  date  the  importance  of  the  Khozars  gradually  de- 
clined. Under  the  influence  of  Judaism  they  had  be- 
come a  peaceful  people,  and  they  were  no  longer  able 
to  withstand  the  inroads  of  the  martial  Slavs  and  Rus- 
sians by  whom  they  were  surrounded.  The  kingdom 
shrunk  until  it  became  confined  to  the  Crimea.  In  the 
reign  of  a  King  named  David  they  made  a  last  effort  to 
re-establish  Judaism  in  the  provinces  they  had  lost  by 
sending  Jewish  Rabbis  to  convert  the  Russin  Prince, 
Vladimir  the  Great,  but  he,  under  the  influence  of  his 
wife,  a  sister  of  the  Emperor  of  Constantinople,  pre- 
ferred the  doctrines  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  was 
baptized.  David  was  the  last  of  the  Khozar  kings.  In 
1016  the  Crimea  was  seized  by  the  Russins,  and  the 
Jewish  State  was  suppressed.     The  Khozar  princes  and 


The  Jewish  Question  in  Russia.  115 

nobles  fled  to  Spain,  where  many  of  their  descendants 
became  distinguished  for  Tahnudic  learning.  The 
jDcople,  equally  true  to  their  Judaism,  held  aloof  from 
the  conquerors,  and  gradually  merged  themselves  with 
the  Karaites,  who  had  become  numerous  in  Taurida. 
The  modern  Karaites  of  the  Crimea,  with  their  fair 
complexions  and  un-Jewish  features,  are  descendants 
of  this  intermixture  of  Jewish  Khozars  and  Karaite 
Jews. 

In  the  mean  time  other  Jews  had  effected  an  entrance 
into  Russia*  from  the  West.  The  circumstances  were 
curiously  similar  to  the  Southern  immigration.  Chris- 
tianity had  been  introduced  into  Germany,  and  one  of 
its  first  results  was  a  persecution  of  the  Hebrews,  who, 
like  their  brethren  in  the  Byzantine  Empire,  had  pre- 
ceded by  some  centuries  the  arrival  of  the  new  faith. 
Compelled  once  more  to  take  in  hand  the  wanderer's 
staff,  the  German  Jews  sent  a  deputation  to  the  Pagan 
Leszek,  Prince  of  Poland,  asking  to  be  permitted  to 
take  refuge  in  his  dominions.  The  names  and  condition 
of  the  members  of  this  embassy  throw  an  interesting 
light  on  the  degree  of  culture  attained  by  the  Jews  of 
Central  Europe  at  this  early  epoch.  They  were  Rabbi 
Hezekiah  Sephardi,  Rabbi  Akiba  Estramaduri,  the 
mathematician  Emanuel  Ascaloni,  the  rhetorician  Rabbi 
Levi  Baccari,  and  Rabbi  Nathaniel  Barcelloni.  At 
Gnesen,  in  the  year  893,  they  interviewed  the  Polish 
Prince.  Rabbi  Levi  was  the  spokesman  of  the  party, 
and  delivered  a  short  address  in  Latin,  describing  the 


*  The  Russo  -  Jewish  Question  being  largely  a  Polish  -  Jewish 
question,  the  term  "  Russia"  is  used  here  in  its  most  extended  geo- 
graphical  sense. 


116  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

persecutions  to  wliieli  his  brethren  were  subjected  in 
Germany.  He  prayed  that  thej^  might  be  allowed  to 
find  an  asylum  in  Poland,  and,  anticipating  some  anti- 
Jewish  prejudice  among  the  subjects  of  Leszek,  sug- 
gested that  a  remote  and  unpopulated  district  might  be 
assigned  to  them  to  inhabit  and  cultivate  in  peace, 
Leszek  inquired  what  were  the  tenets  of  Judaism,  and 
then  promised  to  take  counsel  with  the  national  priest- 
hood on  the  petition.  Three  days  later  Eabbi  Levi 
and  his  companions  were  summoned  into  the  presence 
of  the  Polish  potentate  to  hear  his  decision.  Christian 
Russia  of  to-day  might  learn  a  lesson  from  the  libei'alitj' 
of  this  pagan  and  semi-barbarous  prince  of  nearly  a 
thousand  years  ago.  Not  only  did  he  open  his  domin- 
ions freely  to  the  persecuted  Hebrews,  but  he  declined 
to  accept  their  liumble  suggestion  to  limit  their  rights 
of  residence.  He  permitted  them  to  settle  freely  all 
over  Poland,  and  to  follow  agricultural,  industrial,  com- 
mercial, or  any  useful  avocations  without  let  or  hin- 
drance. In  the  following  year,  894,  a  great  concourse 
of  Jews  settled  in  Poland. 

According  to  the  theories  of  the  modern  persecutors 
of  the  Jews,  Leszek's  liberal  policy  should  have  resulted 
in  disaster  to  the  whole  country.  Strange  to  say,  the 
very  contrary  was  the  case.  We  have  seen  how  bene- 
ficial was  the  Jewish  settlement  in  the  South  while  it 
lasted;  in  the  West  it  proved  equally  advantageous. 
For  nearly  seven  hundred  years  the  Jew.s  managed, 
with  but  slight  intermission,  to  preserve  the  privileges 
granted  to  them  in  894,  and  we  have  it  on  the  testi- 
mony of  countless  chronicles  that  they  deserved  the 
liberty  they  enjoyed.  This  period,  marked  by  the  dy- 
nasties of   Piast  and  Jagellon,  was  the  golden  age  of 


The  Jewish  Question  in  Russia.  117 

Polish  history,  and  the  Jews  contrilmted  not  a  little  to 
the  reigning  prosperity.  It  is  one  of  the  creeds  of 
modern  Anti-Semitism  that  Jews  in  large  numbers  must 
be  injurious  to  a  country,  while  a  few  may  be  economi- 
cally useful ;  and  yet  at  this  period  the  Jews  were  pro- 
portionately more  numerous  in  Poland  than  at  the 
present  day.  The  tolerance  of  the  Polish  rulers  at- 
tracted them  from  all  parts  of  Europe.  They  flew 
thither  from  the  restrictive  laws  of  the  Hungarian  and 
Bohemian  rulers,  and  from  the  popular  outbursts  in 
Germany  and  France.  The  expulsion  from  England 
in  1290  furnished  a  large  contingent.  Alljertrandy 
states  that  in  1264,  in  some  of  the  Polish  provinces, 
they  constituted  one  eighth  of  the  population. 

Can  it  be  because  Anti-Semitism  had  not  then  become 
a  scientific  movement,  that  men  of  intelligence  congrat- 
ulated the  country  on  the  numerousness  of  its  Hebrews  ? 
Hardly.  A  large  number  of  Jews  forced  to  ply  a  few 
not  very  wealth-making  trades  may  be  an  undesirable 
element  in  a  country,  but  when  this  large  number  is 
unhampered  by  invidious  legislation,  and  distributed  in 
every  department  of  industry,  it  is  valuable  in  propor- 
tion to  the  intensity  of  the  inherent  energy  and  skill  of 
its  individuals.  The  Jews  in  Poland,  between  the 
eighth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  were  unrestricted  in 
their  avocations,  and  their  industry  and  intelligence 
constituted  them  a  mainstay  of  the  agricultural  and 
mercantile  prosperity  of  the  land.  The  foreign  trade 
was  entirely  in  their  hands,  and  their  transactions  ex- 
tended even  to  Asia  and  Africa.  A  work,  published 
in  1539,  states  that  while  handicrafts  were  almost  un- 
known among  the  Polish  Christians,  and  there  were  not 
more  than  500  Christian  merchants  in  the  country,  the 


11 8  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Jewish  merchants  numbered  3200,  and  the  Jewish 
mechanics  three  times  as  many.  Casimir  the  Great 
was,  probably,  the  wisest  monarch  that  ever  reigned  in 
Poland,  and  he  ostentatiously  recognized  the  utility  of 
the  Jews  by  confirming  and  extending  their  privileges. 
It  was  principally  with  Jewish  money  that  he  built  the 
seventy  towns  with  which  he  endowed  Poland.  The 
historian  Mickiewicz,  reviewing  the  influence  of  tlie 
Jews,  says  truly,  "  Ce  n'est  pas  sans  une  raison  provi- 
dentielle  que  plusieurs  millions  d'Israelites  existent 
depuis  tant  de  siecles  au  milieu  des  Polonais  et  que 
leur  sort  se  lie  intimement  avec  celui  de  la  nation  polo- 
naise." Indeed,  so  obvious  was  the  value  of  the  Jews 
in  Poland  that,  towards  the  end  of  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury, the  Russian  monarch,  Sviatopolk,  invited  a  num- 
ber of  them  to  Kiev,  and  granted  them  important 
privileges  with  a  view  to  the  promotion  of  the  trade  of 
the  city. 

The  best  proof,  however,  that  the  Jews  did  not  con- 
stitute a  pernicious  element  in  Russia  in  the  days  of 
their  freedom,  is  afforded  by  the  estimation  in  wdiich 
they  were  held  by  their  native  fellow-countrymen. 
Mr.  Freeman's  theory  of  the  mediaeval  Jew,  protected 
by  nobles  but  hated  by  the  people,  would  not  find  a 
shadow  of  confirmation  in  Russian  history.  Czacki. 
writing  of  the  reign  of  Casimir  the  Great,  says,  "  The 
Christian  in  his  Church  and  the  Jew  in  his  Synagogue 
offered  up  thanks  to  Heaven  for  their  happiness  in  liv- 
ing in  the  same  country,  and  for  their  enjoyment  of 
equal  rights."  Cardinal  Commandoni,  Papal  Nuncio 
at  the  Court  of  Sigismund  Augustus,  at  the  time  when 
Roman  Catholic  influences  were  just  beginning  to 
darken  the  political  horizon,  expresses  astonishment  at 


The  Jewish  Question  in  Russia.  119 

the  favorable  position  of  the  Jews,  "  There  are,"  he 
says,  "  a  large  number  of  Hebrews  in  these  provinces 
who  are  not  held  in  contempt  as  in  other  countries. 
They  do  not  live  on  the  ignoble  profits  of  usury  and 
brokerages,'  but  they  possess  lands,  are  engaged  in  com- 
merce, and  devote  themselves  to  literature  and  science. 
They  are  rich,  and  enjoy  a  reputation  for  honesty,  No 
badges  are  worn  by  them  to  distinguish  them  from 
Christians,  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  carry  swords  and 
possess  equal  rights  with  other  citizens,"  The  Cardinal 
was  not  disposed  to  paint  a  favorable  picture  of  the 
Jews,  for,  in  the  same  document,  he  inveighs  fiercely 
against  the  Poles  for  their  indulgence  to  such  "infidels." 
The  Jus  militare  held  the  Jews  equally  liable  to  mili- 
tary service  with  other  Poles,  and  instances  of  their 
valor  are  noted  more  than  once  in  Polish  history, 

Judaism  itself  was  held  in  high  esteem,  and  at  one 
time,  when  the  country  was  distracted  with  sectarian 
jealousies,  the  Jews  proselytized  with  such  success  that 
for  a  moment  the  whole  edifice  of  Polish  and  Russian 
Christianity  trembled  at  its  base.  In  Poland  the  un- 
compromising attitude  of  Peter  Gamrat,  Bishop  of 
Cracow,  who  condemned  several  of  the  converts  to  the 
stake,  damped  the  proselytizing  ardor  of  the  Jews  ;  but 
in  Russia  their  success  was  most  remarkable.  The  soul 
of  the  movement  was  a  Jew  of  Kiev  named  Scharja  or 
Zacharias,  a  learned  and  accomplished  man,  well  versed 
in  the  literature  and  sciences  of  his  day.  In  1471  he 
came  to  Novgorod  in  the  train  of  the  Prince  Michael 
Olelkovich,  and  his  reputation  as  a  savant  brought  him 
into  contact  with  a  distinguished  circle.  The  first  con- 
verts he  made  were  two  priests  named  Dionysius  and 
Alexius,  Gabriel,  the  proto-papas  of  the  Cathedral  of 


120  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

■Novgorod,  and  the  Bojar  Tutchin,  a  layman  of  high 
rank.  With  the  assistance  of  several  learned  Jews 
from  Lithuania  secret  communities  of  converts  were 
organized  at  Novgorod  and  Pskov,  and  the  propaganda 
was  proceeded  with  industriously.  When  Novgorod 
became  a  portion  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Moscow,  Dio- 
nysius  and  Alexius  were  appointed  proto-papas  of  the 
two  principal  churches  in  the  capital.  Here  they  suc- 
ceeded in  making  the  most  extraordinary  conversions. 
Kooritzin,  the  secretary  of  the  Grand  Duke,  his  brother, 
Ivan,  the  Princess  Helena,  and  Zozimus,  abbot  of  the 
convent  of  St.  Simeon,  were  among  the  converts  ;  and 
on  the  latter  being  elevated  in  1490  to  the  dignity  of 
Archbishop  of  Moscow  a  circumcised  believer  in  Juda- 
ism became  the  head  of  the  Russian  Church.  There 
was  every  likelihood  of  the  history  of  the  Khozars  being 
repeated  on  a  larger  scale  in  Russia  proper,  when  the 
heresy  was  discovjred  by  Gennadius,  Bishop  of  Nov- 
gorod. Its  spread  was  promptly  stopped.  Dionysius 
and  Gabriel  were  imprisoned  for  life,  Zozimus  resigned 
his  high  position  and  retired  to  a  convent,  and  Koorit- 
zin was  burnt  alive.  The  moment  was,  however,  critical 
for  Russian  Christianity.  It  is  said  that  not  a  single 
town  in  the  whole  country  was  free  from  a  taint  of  Juda- 
ism. The  movement  split  up  into  many  sects,  of  which 
the  modern  Molokani  and  Subotuiki  are  the  remains. 

In  Poland  the  Jews  continued  for  a  hundred  years 
longer  to  enjoy  their  ancient  privileges,  but  in  Russia 
their  doom  was  sealed.  Christianity  recognized  in 
them  its  direst  foes,  and  persecuted  them  unmercifully. 
Veiy  gradually  the  hostile  feeling  spread  to  Poland  ; 
but  it  assumed  no  tangible  form  until  the  rise  of  the 
Jesuit  power  towarub  the  end  of  the  Jagellon  dynasty. 


The  Jewish  Question  in  Russia.  121 

Then,  one  by  one,  all  the  restrictions  of  Ghetto  life 
were  introduced.  The  oppression  was  avowedly  re- 
ligious; no  pernicious  influences  of  an  economical  kind 
were  alleged.  With  a  full  conviction  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  their  conduct,  and  in  the  name  of  a  merciful 
God,  the  representatives  of  Latin  and  Greek  Christianity 
set  themselves  to  the  task  of  demoralizing  a  million  hu- 
man beings. 

If,  then,  to-day  there  is  anything  objectionable  in  the 
character  of  the  Polish  Jew,  who  is  to  blame  ?  Do  the 
Russians  expect  a  people  to  emerge  from  a  seclusion  of 
three  centuries  undazed,  uncramped,  familiar  with  the 
progress  achieved  in  their  absence  ?  The  wonder  is  that 
the  Jews  are  not  infinitely  worse  than  they  really  are. 
It  is  marvellous  that  throughout  their  oppression  they 
should  have  so  completely  conserved  their  moral  purity 
and  their  intellectual  power.  To-day  they  are  nearly 
four  millions  in  number,  and  are  still  enchained  by 
odious  disabilities.  Over  and  over  again  in  modern 
times  they  have  proved  their  capacity  for  progress,  and 
demonstrated  the  falsity  of  the  charges  brought  against 
them.  But,  apart  from  all  controversies  as  to  their 
character,  they  are  human  beings,  and  this  surely  should 
be  sufficient  to  enlist  the  sympathy  of  the  boasted 
humanity  of  the  century  in  their  behalf.  It  will  read 
curiously  in  the  pages  of  some  future  historian  that  the 
age  which  gloried  in  having  freed  the  Negro,  silently 
acquiesced  in  the  oppression  of  the  people  to  whom  the 
world  is  indebted  for  the  Decalogue. 
6 


122  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ErSSIAN   PEESECUTIONS  :    MISSION   TO    CZAR   NICHOLAS. 

The  Board  ot  Deputies  and  the  Russo- Jewish  Question. — Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  Invited  to  St.  Petersburg  by  the  Russian  Government 
to  Confer  with  the  Minister  of  Education  on  the  Condition  of  the 
Jews. — Policy  of  the  Czar  Nicholas  towards  the  Jews. — The  Per- 
secuting Ukase  of  1843. — Jewish  Appeals  to  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore.— Temporary  Suspension  of  the  Ukase. — David  Urquhart  on 
Russian  Persecutions. — Reissue  of  the  Ukase. — Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore Appeals  to  Lord  Aberdeen  to  Intercede  with  the  Czar. — The 
Ukase  is  again  Suspended. — Promulgated  Once  More  in  1845. — 
A  Deputation  of  Russian  Jews  Arrives  in  England. — Diplomatic 
Representations  to  the  Russian  Government  are  Ineffectual. — Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  Deputed  to  proceed  to  St.  Petersburg. — Dangers 
of  the  Journey. — Flattering  Reception  in  the  Russian  Capital. — 
The  Ukase  suspended  for  a  Third  Time. — Interview  with  the  Czar. 
— Sir  Moses  proceeds  on  a  Tour  of  the  Western  Provinces.— Ad- 
ventures on  the  Journey. — Willingness  of  the  Jews  to  follow 
his  Advice. — Triumphant  Progress  through  Jewish  Russia. — Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  and  Prince  Paskievitch. — Revocation  of  the 
Ukase  .—Return  to  England. — Enthusiasm  of  the  English  Jews. — 
Royal  Appreciation  of  the  Mission.— A  Baronetcy  conferred  on 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Deputies,  held  on  the 
12th  September,  1842,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  announced 
that  he  had  received  an  important  communication  from 
the  Russian  Government,  inviting  him  to  St.  Peters- 
burg to  confer  vt^ith  Count  Ouvarov,  Minister  of  Educa- 
tion, on  the  condition  of  the  Russian  Jews.  The  letter, 
which  was  couched  in  very  complimentary  tei-ms,  stated 
that  the  Jews  were  in  so  retrograde  a  state,  tliat  it  would 


Russian  Persecutions:  Mission  to  the  Czar.    123 

be  impossible  for  some  time  "to  pronounce  the  word 
'Emancipation;'"  but  that  with  a  view  to  their  ulti- 
mate affranchisement  the  Emperor  desired  to  introduce 
among  them  an  advanced  system  of  education.  Un- 
fortunately the  Government  had  found  in  the  '*  bigotry 
and  ignorance"  of  the  Jews  an  invincible  obstacle  to  the 
realization  of  their  benevolent  desires.  They  therefore 
appealed  to  Sir  Moses  for  his  co-operation.  "  You,  Sir," 
declared  the  letter,  "  enjoy  the  fullest  confidence  of  the 
Russian  Jews :  your  name  is  uttered  with  the  most  pro- 
found veneration  by  them."  The  Government,  there- 
fore, hoped  that,  with  his  assistance,  the  scheme  they 
had  in  contemplation  might  be  made  acceptable  to  his 
co-religionists.  At  the  same  time  other  letters  were  re- 
ceived by  Sir  Moses  from  several  of  the  Jewish  com- 
munities, urging  him  to  seize  the  opportunity  of  plead- 
ing their  cause  before  the  Czar. 

Sir  Moses  was  unable  to  accept  this  invitation  for 
private  reasons ;  but  had  he  proceeded  to  St.  Peters- 
burg, it  is  doubtful  whether  he  would  have  found  the 
Russian  Government  as  anxious  as  they  professed  to  be 
to  ameliorate  the  lot  of  his  brethren  in  faith.  The  real 
history  of  the  remarkable  invitation  of  Count  Ouvarov 
has  yet  to  be  written.  Read  in  the  light  of  the  cruel 
and  arbitrary  policy  pursued  by  the  Emperor  i!sicholas 
towards  the  Jews  since  his  accession  to  the  throne  in 
1825,  it  cannot  but  suggest  some  arriere-pensee  at  issue 
with  its  well-intentioned  tone.  No  section  of  the  Rus- 
sian population  had  felt  the  weight  of  the  Czar's  iron 
hand  more  heavily  than  the  Jews.  In  1827,  when  he 
was  engaged  in  the  organization  of  a  navy,  it  was  sug- 
gested to  him  that  the  serfs  were  too  clumsy  and  loosely 
knit  to  make  good  sailors,  but  that  the  Jews,  with  their 


124  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

lithe  and  active  figures,  might  be  very  advantageously 
employed,  especially  if  trained  for  the  purpose  in  their 
youth.  The  Emperor  acted  upon  the  suggestion  with 
the  literal  and  reckless  promptness  that  always  charac- 
terized him.  In  one  night  30,000  young  Jewish  chil- 
dren were  torn  from  their  mothers'  arms,  and  carried 
away  to  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea  to  be  inducted  into 
the  mysteries  of  seamanship.  From  the  moment  of 
their  seizure  they  were  submitted  to  the  most  rigorous 
discipline,  and  were  so  cruelly  treated,  that  not  more 
than  10,000  of  them  survived  to  enter  the  navy.  Shut 
out  from  communication  with  their  families,  the  Czar 
also  closed  against  them  the  portals  of  their  religion, 
and  had  them  brought  up  in  the  tenets  of  the  Russo- 
Greek  Church.  This  was  not  the  only  occasion  on 
which  his  Majesty  showed  that  his  attitude  towards  the 
Jews  was  biassed  by  religious  considerations ;  for  in 
1828  he  tried  to  have  all  the  Jews  in  the  Russian  army 
forcibly  baptized. 

But,  besides  isolated  instances  of  persecution  such  as 
these,  the  Emperor  Nicholas  had  made  himself  specially 
conspicuous  in  Russo-Jewish  history,  b}^  codifying  on  a 
comprehensive  scale  the  laws  for  the  oppression  of  the 
Jews,  which  had  been  formulated  at  different  times  by 
his  Russian  and  Polish  predecessors.  The  ostensible 
object  of  the  new  code,  which  was  promulgated  in 
April,  1835,  consisted  "  in  a  regulation  of  the  position 
of  the  Jews,  which,  while  enabling  them  to  earn  their 
livelihood  by  agriculture,  and  industrial  occupations, 
as  also  to  educate  their  children,  would  at  the  same 
time  remove  all  inducements  to  indolence  and  illegal 
pursuits."  The  effect  was,  however,  very  different. 
Prince  Demidoff  San-Donato,  in  his  admirable  work  on 


Hussian  Persecutions:  Mission  to  the  Czar.    125 

"  The  Jewish  Question  in  Kussia,"  whicli  has  recently 
been  translated  into  English,  under  the  auspices  of  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore's  nephew,  Mr.  H.  Guedalla,  says  of 
this  code,  "  From  the  sense  of  its  enactments  it  would 
appear  that,  according  to  the  views  of  the  Legislature, 
the  Jews,  ^er  se,  do  not  possess  any  of  the  rights  inher- 
ent to  all  men  and  citizens.  Thus,  for  instance,  with 
regard  to  all  Russian  subjects,  with  the  exception  of 
Jews,  the  fundamental  legal  principle  is  that  everything 
not  prohibited  by  law  is  allowed  ;  whereas  for  the  Jews 
the  maxim  is  that  everything  which  is  not  positively 
allowed  by  law,  is  to  be  considered  prohibited."  This 
is  the  legislation  by  which  the  Jews  of  Russia  are 
governed  to-day.  Well  might  Baron  Henry  de  "Worms 
exclaim  on  a  recent  occasion,  that  it  was  tantamount  to 
a  ban  of  excommunication  ! 

The  only  recognizable  explanation  of  Count  Ouva- 
rov's  invitation  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  was,  that  the 
Russian  Government  had  seen  the  error  of  its  ways  in 
respect  to  the  Jews,  and  had  resolved  to  mend  them. 
This  theory  was,  however,  rudely  dispelled  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  In  consequence  of  the  smuggling  which  took 
place  on  the  "Western  frontiers,  and  in  which  a  few 
Jews  were  thought  to  participate,  the  Czar,  with  his 
usual  drastic  precipitancy,  issued  a  Ukase,  on  the  20th 
April,  1843,  ordering  the  removal  into  the  interior  of 
all  Jews  domiciled  within  a  zone  of  50  versts  (close 
upon  35  English  miles)  along  the  German  and  Aus- 
trian frontiers.  This  reckless  measure  was  worthy 
of  the  man  who,  heedless  of  engineering  difficulties, 
commanded  his  railways  to  be  built  in  mathematically 
straight  lines.  It  was  calculated  to  break  up  no  less 
than  a  thousand  Jewish   congregations,  and  ruin  over 


126  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

three  hundred  towns  and  villages.  Its  effect  on  the 
commerce  of  the  Empire  would  have  been  disastrous  in 
the  extreme.  To  the  communities  at  which  it  was 
levelled,  it  was  of  terrible  significance.  It  meant  the 
destruction  of  all  their  little  property,  and  their  means 
of  livelihood ;  it  meant  the  break-up  of  homes  which, 
however  miserable,  were  still  brightened  by  loving  do- 
mestic reminiscences,  and  hallowed  b}^  the  recollection 
of  ancestors  whose  ashes  reposed  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity. For  wanton  cruelty,  the  whole  legislation  even  of 
autocratic  Russia  may  be  searched  in  vain  for  the  equal 
of  this  decree. 

2fearly  three  months  elapsed  before  any  intelligence 
of  the  new  persecution  reached  "Western  Europe.  One 
morning  in  July,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  was  shocked  to 
receive  a  letter  from  the  Jews  of  Konigsberg  describing 
what  had  taken  place,  and  appealing  for  help.  "With  his 
customary  promptness  he  called  upon  Baron  Brunnow, 
the  Russian  Ambassador  at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  and 
urged  him  to  inform  his  Government  how  dire  were  the 
hardships  the  Ukase  was  calculated  to  inflict.  At  the 
same  time  he  wrote  a  friendly  letter  to  Count  Ouvarov, 
soliciting  his  good  ofiices  to  obtain  an  abrogation  of  the 
decree.  The  effect  of  these  representations  was,  that 
the  Ukase  was  suspended  for  some  months. 

In  January,  1844,  an  intimation  was  forwarded  to  the 
Jewish  communities,  that  the  Ukase  would  shortly  be 
enforced,  and  agonizing  appeals  were  again  addressed  to 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore.  The  cause  of  the  persecuted 
Jews  was,  on  this  occasion,  generously  taken  up  by  the 
M'hole  European  press.  In  England,  David  Urquhart, 
then  in  the  acutest  throes  of  his  Russophobia,  thus  wrote 
in  the  Poi'tfolio : 


Bussian  Persecutions:  Mission  to  the  Czar.    127 

"  Hitherto  there  was  one  People  who,  obedient  Beasts 
of  Burthen,  could  excite  neither  the  Fears  nor  the  An- 
tipathies of  Russia,  who  presented  neither  a  political  nor 
religious  Bond,  or  Hold,  or  Opposition  to  Her.  These 
were  the  Jews.  Suddenly  thej  too  are  added  to  the 
number  of  the  sufferers.  First,  came  a  Ukase,  subjecting 
them  to  Military,  not  Service,  but  Conscription ;  and 
now  an  Imperial  Command  converts  them  into  home- 
less and  destitute  Wanderers.  Half  a  Million  of  Human 
Beings  are  thus  smitten,  but  the  very  Option  is  not  left 
to  them  of  what  was  the  Doom  of  the  Jews  of  Spain. 
They  dare  not  even  fly  from  their  Oppressor  and  seek  a 
Refuge  in  less  inhospitable  lands,  or  that  Mercy  from 
the  Mussulman  that  the  Christian  denied.  They  are 
expatriated  yet  firmly  grasped,  Hopelessness  of  Refuge 
is  added  to  Destitution — their  Fate  is  completed  in  the 
Words,  to  move  fifty  versts  into  the  interior  of  Russia. 
....  Russia,  who  had  outraged  every  Commandment 
of  God,  and  every  Law  of  Man,  fills  up  with  this  last 
Atrocity  the  Measure  of  Iniquity.  Russia  having 
already,  by  such  Crimes  committed  with  Impunity, 
steeped,  the  Nations  of  Europe  in  Infamy,  by  this  last 
fills  up  the  Measure  and  the  Proof  of  their  Degrada- 
tion." 

Convinced  this  time  that  direct  appeals  to  the  Rus- 
sian Authorities  would  be  useless.  Sir  Moses  Montefiore 
resolved  on  public  and  organized  action.  In  consulta- 
tion with  the  Board  of  Deputies,  he  determined  to  lay 
the  facts  of  the  persecution  before  the  British  Govern- 
ment. Accompanied  by  his  nephew.  Baron  Lionel  de 
Rothschild,  he  accordingly  waited  on  the  Earl  of  Aber- 
deen, who,  on  behalf  of  Her  Majesty's  Ministers,  prom- 
ised to  use  bis  friendly  ofiices  with  the  Czar.     A  couple 


128  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

of  months  later,  the  Emperor  himself  appeared  in  Eng- 
land on  a  visit  to  the  Queen.  Sir  Moses  sought  an  in- 
terview with  His  Majesty,  but  in  vain.  He  prevailed 
upon  him,  however,  to  receive  and  consider  a  memorial, 
and  again  it  was  notified  that  the  operation  of  the  edict 
would  be  suspended. 

Not  for  long,  however.  The  Emperor's  heart  was 
apparently  set  on  the  execution  of  his  grim  scheme,  and, 
towards  the  end  of  1845,  he  resolved  on  the  reissue  of 
the  Ukase.  This  determination,  after  twenty  months 
of  tranquillity,  took  the  Jews  of  Europe  by  surprise. 
For  a  time  they  hesitated  as  to  the  course  they  should 
pursue.  Their  apparent  inactivity  drew  upon  them  the 
scornful  reproaches  of  David  Urquhart,  expressed  with 
his  usual  array  of  italics  and  capital  letters.  "Writing 
in  the  Portfolio,  he  thus  contrasted  the  energy  they 
had  displayed  in  t^e  Damascus  affair  with  their  seeming 
apathy  in  face  of  the  Russian  persecution : 

"  How  Can  this  Indifference  of  a  Body  so  proverbially 
attached  to  each  other,  and  which  have  recently  mani- 
fested that  Attachment  in  so  signal  a  Manner,  be  ac- 
counted for  under  this,  the  heaviest  Blow  that  for 
Centuries  has  fallen  on  their  Head  ?  This  there  is  no 
Difficulty  in  accounting  for.  The  Persecutor  is  Russia. 
That  siiys  all !  Who  dares  to  question,  aye,  or  even  to 
wince,  when  he  knows  that  it  is  her  hand  that  applies 
the  Lash  ?  That  Moment,  those  who  were  heard  the 
loudest,  and  who  looked  the  fiercest,  are  heard  no  more, 
and  their  Eye  is  on  the  Ground.  It  is  all  one,  Jew  or 
Gentile,  Stockbroker  or  Field-Marshal,  Clothesman  or 
Sovereign,  Montefiore  or  Goi'don,  Kothschild  or  Guelf, 
they  are  all  Servants  to  the  same  Master,  and  Beasts  of 
Burden — there  is  Pasture  for  them  in  the  same  Yalley, 


Russian  Per seGuUons :  Mission  to  the  Cza/r.     129 

Harness  for  them  in  tlie  same  Stall ;  they  feed,  and 
perform  their  Task !" 

Urqnhart  was  mistaken.  Soon  after  the  publication 
of  this  article,  a  deputation  of  Russian  Jews  arrived  in 
England  to  lay  their  grievances  before  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore,  and  he  once  more  endeavored  to  interest  the 
British  Government  in  their  behalf.  At  the  same  time, 
at  Yienna,  Baron  Solomon  de  Rothschild  publicly  called 
upon  the  Russian  Ambassador  to  intercede  with  his 
Government.  These  representations  proved  fruitless. 
The  Jews  of  "Western  Europe  now  became  thoronghly 
aroused.  Supported  by  the  leading  journals,  Dr. 
Frankel,  the  learned  Chief  Rabbi  of  Dresden,  published 
a  vigorous  appeal  to  the  world  for  help.  The  Russian 
Government  mockingly  answered  with  an  expulsion  of 
foreign  Jews.  Notwithstanding  the  irritation  caused 
by  this  last  measure,  no  European  Power  ventured  on 
a  remonstrance.  To  avert  the  impending  disaster  the 
Jews  evidently  had  only  themselves  to  rel}'  upon.  In 
this  crisis  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  gallantly  came  forward 
and  offered  to  proceed  to  St.  Petersburg  to  plead  the 
cause  of  his  brethren  personally  with  the  Czar. 

This  proposal  was  received  by  the  Jews  with  enthusi- 
asm. As  soon  as  the  necessary  preparations  were  com- 
pleted, special  prayers  for  the  success  of  the  Mission 
were  offered  up  in  all  the  synagogues  of  the  British 
Empire  by  order  of  the  Chief  Rabbi,  and  even  the 
Reform  Cono^reo-ation  in  Burton  Crescent  sent  forth  an 
applauding  "  God-speed "  from  its  proscribed  pulpit. 
On  the  26th  Fe])ruary,  1846,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore, 
accompanied  by  Lady  Montefiore  and  Dr.  Loewe,  and 
attended  by  a  numerous  suite,  set  out  on  his  second 
important  expedition.    The  wintry  weather  was  exceed- 


130  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejlore. 

ingly  severe,  and  the  journey  long  and  tedious.  On  the 
snow-bound  roads  the  travellers  were  frequently  alarmed 
by  the  howling  of  hungry  packs  of  wolves,  and  they 
had  to  keep  a  gong  perpetually  sounding  to  frighten 
them  away.  St.  Petersburg  was  not  reached  until  the 
31st  March. 

The  reception  accorded  to  Sir  Moses  in  the  Russian 
capital  was  very  flattering.  Apart  from  the  recom- 
mendations with  which  he  had  been  furnished  by  the 
British  Government,  and  which,  under  any  circum- 
stances, would  have  secured  him  ceremonious  attention, 
the  political  whirligig  had  brought  about  a  modification 
in  the  Czar's  view  of  the  obnoxious  Ukase  which  enabled 
him  to  be  more  gracious  to  the  Jewish  champion  than 
might  have  otherwise  been  possible.  Sir  Moses  was 
treated  not  merely  as  a  distinguished  private  individual, 
but  as  the  representative  of  a  people.  He  was  asked 
to  consider  himself  the  guest  of  the  Emperor ;  State 
carriages  were  placed  at  his  disposal,  and  a  Government 
official  was  ordered  to  be  in  constant  attendance  on  him. 
During  the  Passover  holidays  he  worshipped  in  the 
synagogues  used  by  the  Jewish  soldiers  of  the  garrison, 
which,  for  the  occasion,  were  handsomely  decorated  at 
the  expense  of  the  Czar. 

The  presentation  of  the  Memorial  of  which  he  was 
the  bearer  took  place  on  the  9th  April.  Previous  to 
the  arrival  of  the  Hebrew  philanthropist  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, the  counsellors  of  the  Czar  had  ventured  to  point 
out  that,  while  it  was  doubtful  whether  the  proposed 
removal  of  the  Jews  into  the  interior  would  have  the 
contemplated  effect  of  checking  smuggling,  it  was  cer- 
tain that  so  sudden  a  change  in  the  social  condition  of 
the  Western  Provinces  would  bring  about  grave  eco- 


SIR  MOSES  MOKTEFIORE. 


Russiam,  Persecutions:  Mission  to  the  Czar.    131 

noinical  evils  which  would  react  upon  the  entire  Empire. 
The  Czar  had  listened  to  these  representations  with 
more  attention  than  he  usually  bestowed  on  advice 
opposed  to  his  preconceived  opinions,  and  on  the  22d 
March  the  operation  of  the  Ukase  had  been  suspended 
for  four  years.  This  action  had  not,  however,  removed 
the  raison  (Tetre  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  Mission. 
He  was  charged  to  procure,  if  possible,  the  entire  revo- 
cation of  the  decree,  and  also  to  obtain  a  general  reform 
of  the  laws  affecting  the  Russian  Jews. 

Sir  Moses  gave  the  following  account  of  his  audience 
with  the  Emperor  in  one  of  his  letters : 

"I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that,  with  the 
blessing  of  God,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  plead- 
ing the  cause  of  our  brethren  in  this  Empire  before 
the  might}^  monarch.  On  Thursday  I  was  honored 
with  an  audience  by  the  Emperor,  was  most  gracious- 
ly received,  and  all  my  statements  listened  to  most 
patiently.  His  Majesty  said  I  should  have  the  satis- 
faction of  taking  with  me  his  assurance  and  the  assur- 
ances of  his  Ministers,  that  he  was  most  desirous  for  the 
improvement  of  my  co-religionists  in  his  Empire,  and 
that  object  engaged  his  attention  at  present.  His 
Majesty  intimated  a  desire  that  I  should  visit  my 
brethren  in  those  towns  in  which  they  were  the  most 
numerous,  and  he  would  put  me  in  communication  with 
his  ministers." 

The  conversation  here  referred  to  occupied  half  an 
hour,  and  was  conducted  without  witnesses.  In  honor 
of  the  occasion  the  Palace  guard  for  the  day  was  com- 
posed of  Jewish  soldiers.  After  the  Emperor  had  read 
the  Memorial  he  turned  to  Sir  Moses  and  said,  in  the 
most  affable  manner,  "  A  present  causons."     He  then 


132  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

chattily  descanted  on  the  difficulties  of  the  Russo- 
Jewish  problem,  gave  his  visitor  some  details  of  alleged 
Jewish  demoralization,  which.  Sir  Moses  subsequently 
declared,  "  made  every  hair  of  my  head  stand  on  end," 
and  expressed  a  desire  to  deal  liberally  with  the  Jews, 
if  only  the  ancient  laws  of  the  Empire  would  allow 
him.  "  But  your  Majesty  might  alter  these  laws,"  in- 
terposed Montefiore.  "I  hope  I  may  succeed,"  an- 
swered the  Emperor.  Referring  to  the  Jewish  sentries 
on  duty,  Nicholas  said  he  had  100,000  brave  Israelites 
in  his  army,  and  complimentarily  described  them  as 
"  veritable  Maccabees."  It  appeared  to  Sir  Moses  that,  in 
spite  of  the  Czar's  liberal  protestations,  he  was  strongly 
possessed  by  a  perverted  estimate  of  Jewish  character. 
In  concluding  the  interview,  the  Emperor  made  the 
suggestion,  referred  to  in  Sir  Moses'  letter,  that  he 
should  himself  visit  the  Jewish  communities  in  the 
West,  and  he  advised  him  to  counsel  his  co-religionists 
to  lay  aside  their  old-fashioned  dress  and  mediaeval  cus- 
toms. In  taking  his  leave,  Sir  Moses  observed,  "  Sire, 
I  commend  my  Jewish  brethren  to  your  protection." 
"  They  shall  have  it  if  they  resemble  you,"  courteously 
answered  the  Czar. 

Sir  Moses  lost  no  time  in  acting  upon  the  Emperor's 
suggestion  that  he  should  visit  his  Kussian  brethren  in 
their  homes.  The  earnest  spirit  in  which  he  undertook 
this  important  investigation  is  indicated  in  a  letter  he 
addressed  to  a  friend  in  London.     He  wrote : 

"  To-morrow,  please  God,  I  proceed  on  my  visit,  in 
compliance  with  the  desire  of  his  Imperial  Majesty,  to 
several  towns  in  which  the  Jews  principally  reside. 
After  witnessing  their  situation,  I  have  the  assurance  of 
the  Ministers  that  any  report  or  suggestion  that  I  may 


Russian  Persecutions:  Mission  to  the  Czar.    133 

think  proper  to  make  shall  have  their  earnest  attention, 
and  a  promise  that  my  letter  shall  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  Emperor  himself.  I  have  had  long  and 
frequent  intercourse  with  the  principal  Ministers  on  the 
subject  of  the  unfortunate  condition  of  our  co-religion- 
ists in  this  Empire;  and  I  feel  confident  that  there  is  a 
great  desire  for  their  improvement,  but  I  fear  there  is 
the  greatest  poverty  among  them.  The  most  likely 
remedy  for  this  evil  would  be  their  employment  in  the 
cultivation  of  land  and  the  establishment  of  manufac- 
tories ;  these  pursuits  require  capital,  which,  I  appre- 
hend, it  will  be  difficult  to  raise  in  this  country.  I  have 
been  much  pleased  with  two  Synagogues,  which  I  have 
had  the  gratification  of  attending  during  the  holidays, 
with  the  consent  of  His  Majesty,  who  was  graciously 
pleased  afterwards  to  inquire  if  I  was  satisfied  with 
them.  Both  buildings  were  crowded  with  Jewish 
soldiers ;  and  it  was  a  gratifying  sight  to  witness  their 
ordei-ly  conduct  and  great  devotion.  The  Hazanim 
w^ere  soldiers,  and  the  prayers,  Parasa^  etc.,  were 
extremely  well  read,  and  would  have  done  credit  to  any 
Synagogue  in  London." 

Armed  with  letters  to  the  provincial  authorities  and 
with  the  privilege  of  using  the  Government  relays.  Sir 
Moses  left  St.  Petersburg  on  the  21st  April.  His 
journey  is  said  to  have  resembled  a  royal  progress.  At 
Wilna,  the  capital  of  Jewish  Poland, — one  third  of  the 
population  are  Jews — he  spent  eleven  days.  Immedi- 
ately on  his  arrival  he  was  waited  upon  by  the  Military 
Commandant,  General  von  Mirkowiez,  while  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  the  principal  officials  paid  their  re- 
spects to  Lady  Montefiore.  A  round  of  festivities  was 
proposed  by  the  authorities,  but  declined  by  Sir  Moses, 


134  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

He  found  the  Jews  willing  to  follow  his  advice  in  every 
particular.  They  expressed  their  readiness  to  engage  in 
agriculture,  and  the  administrators  of  the  communal 
scliools  undertook  to  have  the  boys  instructed  in  the 
vernacular  and  in  branches  of  useful  secular  knowledge. 
At  every  town  at  which  he  stopped  he  gave  largel}'  to 
the  poor  of  all  denominations,  and  at  Wilna  left  10,000 
silver  roubles  for  the  Jewish  poor  alone.  The  journey 
was  not  without  its  adventures.  In  crossing  the  Dwina 
the  ice  gave  way,  and  one  of  the  servants  was  drowned. 
The  Montefiores  themselves  narrowly  escaped  with  their 
lives.  The  general  results  of  Sir  Moses'  observations 
are  tersely  described  in  one  of  his  letters  to  London. 
Writing  from  "Warsaw,  under  date  of  the  20th  May,  he 
says: 

"  There  is  much  to  be  done  in  Poland.  I  have  al- 
ready received  the  promise  of  many  of  the  Hasidim 
to  change  their  fur  caps  for  hats,  and  to  adopt  the  Ger- 
man costume  generall3\  I  think  this  change  will  have 
a  happy  effect  on  their  position,  and  be  the  means  of 
producing  a  good  feeling  between  their  fellow-subjects 
and  themselves.  I  have  received  the  assurance  of  many 
that  they  would  willingly  engage  themselves  in  agricul- 
ture if  they  could  procure  land ;  and  his  Highness  the 
Viceroy  is  desirous  that  they  should  do  so.  I  therefore 
hope  that  those  Jews  in  this  kingdom  who  have  the 
ability  will  purchase  land  (which  I  am  told  is  very 
cheap),  and  will  employ  their  brethren  in  its  cultivation. 
Our  co-religionists  are  most  willing  to  work ;  they  are 
good  masons,  bricklayers,  carpenters,  etc.,  and  of  course 
tailors,  shoemakers,  bootmakers,  weavers,  etc.  I  was 
pained  to  witness  how  some  labor  for  a  bit  of  bread : 
there  were  thousands  of  them  on  the  roads  breaking 


Russian  Persecutions:  Mission  to  the  Czar.    135 

stones ;  and  truly  happy  when  they  could  get  even  that 
humiliating  employment.  The  Jewish  schools  are 
most  deserving  of  commendation ;  the  females  are  quite 
equal  in  talent  to  the  males." 

At  Warsaw  Sir  Moses  was  somewhat  rudely  reminded 
of  the  insincerity  of  the  Russian  authorities  in  their 
assumed  benevolence  towards  the  Jews.  In  an  inter- 
view with  Prince  Paskiewitch,  the  Governor-General 
of  Poland,  he  represented  how  advantageous  it  would 
be  to  admit  Jewish  pupils  to  the  public  schools.  "  God 
forbid !"  cynically  replied  the  Prince.  "  The  Jews  are 
already  too  clever  for  us.  How  would  it  be  if  they  got 
good  schooling  V  This  remark,  spoken  probably  in 
jest,  throws  a  flood  of  light  on  the  Russian  policy  to- 
wards the  Jews.  The  opinion  is  not  new  in  Russian 
history.  It  reminds  us  of  a  remarkable  letter  written 
some  sixty  years  before  by  the  Empress  Catherine  to 
the  Governor  of  Moscow,  who  had  complained  of  the 
difficulties  he  experienced  in  establishing  schools.  "  Mon 
cher  Prince,"  wrote  the  Empress,  "vous  vous  plaignez 
de  ce  que  les  Russes  n'ont  pas  le  desir  de  s'instruire. 
Si  j'institue  des  ecoles,  ce  n'est  pas  pour  nous,  c'est  pour 
I'Europe  ou.  il  faut  maintenir  notre  rang  dans  I'opinion  ; 
mais  du  jour,  ou  nos  paysans  voudraient  s'eclairer,  ni 
vous  ni  moi,  nous  ne  resterions  a  nos  places." 

His  tour  of  the  Jewish  communities  completed.  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  returned  to  England  by  rapid  stages, 
bringing  with  him  the  news  that  the  Ukaze  which  had 
occasioned  his  journey  had  been  finally  abrogated.  As 
a  further  result  of  his  mission,  an  Imperial  rescript  was 
subsequently  issued,  granting  Jews  the  right  to  acquire 
land,  and  to  enroll  themselves  in  commercial  corpora- 
tions.    The  conditions  attached  to  this  permission  were, 


136  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

however,  not  sufficiently  favorable  to  admit  of  the 
Jews  availing  themselves  very  extensively  of  its  pro- 
visions. The  personal  advice  and  example  of  Sir  Moses 
did  more  to  stimulate  the  Russian  Hebrews  to  an  im- 
provement of  their  condition  than  all  the  grudging 
concessions  of  the  Government.  If  the  Jews  are  to-day 
better  off  than  they  were  in  1846,  it  is  only  in  a  very 
small  measure  due  to  the  exertions  of  the  authorities. 

In  England  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  co-religionists 
received  him  with  an  enthusiasm  hardly  inferior  to  that 
which  greeted  him  on  his  triumphant  return  from  the 
East  in  1840.  His  efforts  on  behalf  of  his  persecuted 
brethren  were  graciously  appreciated,  too,  by  the  high- 
est personages  in  the  realm.  An  entertainment  in  his 
honor,  given  by  his  sister-in-law,  the  then  Dowager 
Baroness  de  Eothschild,  at  Gunnersbury  Park,  was  at- 
tended by  more  than  one  member  of  the  royal  family ; 
and  the  Queen  testified  her  interest  in  his  humanitarian 
work  by  conferring  upon  him  his  baronetcy. 


A  Busy  Decade.  137 


CHAPTEE  Xn. 

A   BUSY   DECADE. 

Resumption  of  the  Emancipation  Struggle. — Mr.  David  Salomons 
and  tlie  Court  of  Aldermen. — Passing  of  the  Municipal  Corpora- 
tions Bill. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  the  Duke  of  Cambridge. — 
Accession  to  Power  of  Lord  John  Russell. — Baron  Lionel  de 
Rothschild  is  Returned  to  Parliament. — Prevented  from  Taking 
his  Seat. — The  Premier  Proposes  to  Abolish  Jewish  Disabilities. 
— The  Bill  is  Passed  by  the  Commons  but  Thrown  out  by  the 
Lords. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  Organizes  an  Agitation  in  Favor 
of  the  Bill.— Second  Defeat  of  the  Bill.— The  End  of  the  Strug- 
gle.— Who  shall  be  the  First  Jewish  Peer  ? — Condition  of  the 
Foreign  Jews. — Another  Blood  Accusation  at  Damascus. — Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  proceeds  to  Paris  and  Interviews  M.  Guizot 
and  King  Louis  Philippe. — Satisfactory  Assurances. — The  Jews 
of  Turkey. — Proposed  Readmission  of  the  Jews  to  Spain. — La- 
bors of  Mr.  Guedalla. — Home  Affairs. — Three  Missions  to  Pales- 
tine.— The  ' '  Judah  Touro"  Legacy. — Useful  Works  in  the  Holy 
Land. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Said  Pasha. — Conversation 
with  the  Khedive  on  the  Suez  Canal. 

The  meridian  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  career  was 
reached  in  the  period  we  are  now  approaching.  At 
an  age  when  with  most  men  "  the  years  have  stolen  fire 
from  the  mind,  and  vigor  from  the  limb,"  he  was  in 
the  prime  of  life.  Time  had  dealt  its  gentlest  with 
him.  Almost  within  sight  of  the  Psalmist's  limit  of 
age,  his  appetite  for  work  was  unslaked,  and  his  ener- 
gies nnexhaiTsted.  The  ten  years  ending  on  his  seventy- 
third  birthday  were  the  busiest  in  his  whole  career. 


138  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

The  session  following  his  return  from  Russia  found 
liiin  again  hard  at  work  in  the  President's  chair  of  the 
Board  of  Deputies.  One  of  the  first  questions  he  was 
called  upon  to  consider  was  the  resumption  of  the 
Emancipation  struggle  in  England.  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  it  is  nevertheless  a  fact  that  Sir  Moses  Montefiore, 
a  Baronet  of  the  United  Kingdom,  ex-sheriff  of  Lon- 
don and  Middlesex,  and  high  sheriff  for  the  county 
of  Kent,  a  Commissioner  of  Lunacy  for  London,  and  a 
Magistrate  of  Middlesex,  Deputy  Lieutenant  for  Kent, 
and  a  Magistrate  for  the  Cinque  Ports,  who  had  been 
twice  honored  by  his  sovereign  for  his  labors  in  the 
cause  of  oppressed  humanity,  and  whose  example  had 
taught  his  co-religionists  in  the  remotest  countries  to 
regard  England  as  the  home  of  liberty,  was  himself  in 
1847  still  a  victim  of  political  disabilities.  Two  years 
before  he  had  initiated,  after  a  lull  of  eight  years,  a  new 
campaign  against  the  disqualifications  under  which  the 
English  Jews  labored ;  but  he  had  not  been  able  to 
achieve  more  than  the  opening  to  them  of  Corporation 
offices.  The  occasion  of  this  campaign  was  the  annul- 
ment of  the  election  of  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  David 
Salomons,  as  Alderman  for  the  ward  of  Portsoken  in 
the  City  of  London,  in  consequence  of  his  inability  to 
subscribe  to  the  declaration  "  On  the  true  faith  of  a 
Christian,"  with  which  the  oath  of  office  concluded. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Deputies  held  on  the 
23d  of  January,  1845,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  brought 
the  circumstance  officially  under  the  notice  of  his  col- 
leagues, and  moved  "  that  the  time  is  now  fitting  for  a 
recommencement  of  the  agitation  for  Jewish  emancipa- 
tion." The  resolution  was  adopted,  and  a  special  com- 
mittee appointed  to  act  upon  it. 


A  Busy  Decade.  139 

This  body  met  frequently  at  the  chambers  in  Capel 
Court,  occupied  by  its  cliairman  in  his  capacity  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Alliance  Insurance  Company.  At  one  of 
these  meetings  (10th  February)  it  was  resolved  to  seek 
a  conference  with  Her  Majesty's  Government,  and,  ac- 
cordingly, on  the  19th  February,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore, 
accompanied  by  his  nephew,  the  late  Baron  Lionel  de 
Rothschild,  had  an  interview  with  Sir  Eobert  Peel  at 
Downing  Street.  The  Premier  stated  that  a  measure 
for  the  partial  repeal  of  Jewish  Disabilities  was  under 
his  consideration,  but  that  he  was  not  then  prepared  to 
disclose  it.  On  the  4th  March  another  interview  took 
place,  when  the  Minister  showed  Sir  Moses  Montefiore 
a  Bill  enabling  Jews  to  fill  corporation  offices.  This, 
he  said,  was  the  extent  to  which  the  Government  was 
inclined  to  go.  Sir  Moses  expressed  his  regret  that  no 
larger  measure  of  repeal  was  contemplated,  but  hoped 
that  in  a  subsequent  session  the  Ministry  would  present 
the  Jews  with  a  final  instalment  of  relief. 

The  Bill  was  introduced  into  Parliament,  and  passed 
both  Houses  without  opposition.  In  the  Lords  it  was 
warmly  commended  by  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  uncle 
to  the  Queen,  and  a  patron  of  the  Jews'  Hospital,  who, 
in  the  course  of  his  speech,  made  some  interesting  refer- 
ences to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore.  His  Royal  Highness 
said : 

"  I  have  had  occasion  for  some  time  to  know  the 
good  which  persons  professing  the  Jewish  religion  have 
done,  and  particularly  with  reference  to  the  different 
charities  to  which  I  belong ;  and  I  can  certainly  say  that 
it  is  to  them  that  we  owe  a  great  deal,  and  that  they 
contribute  a  very  large  portion  of  the  funds  of  all  the 
charities  over  which  I   have  the  honor  of   presiding. 


140  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Two  of  the  individuals  whose  names  were  mentioned  in 
the  speech  of  my  noble  and  learned  friend  on  the  Wool- 
sack are  personally  known  to  myself.  One  was  for- 
merly High  Sheriff  of  the  county  of  Kent  (Mr.  Salo- 
mons), and  I  can  bear  witness  to  the  good  which  he  has 
done.  Also,  there  was  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  who, 
about  five  years  ago,  was  SherifE  of  London,  and  I  must 
state,  in  justice  to  him,  what  occurred  between  him  and 
me  whilst  he  held  that  ofiice.  I  happened  to  be  re- 
quested by  the  Bishop  of  Winchester  to  preside  at  a 
meeting  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  number  of 
churches  in  that  diocese.  I  went  down  to  Winchester, 
and  I  happened  to  be  walking  in  the  garden,  when  I 
met  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  who  had  come  down  on  a 
very  melancholy  occasion,  to  attend  the  deathbed  of  a 
favorite  niece.  He  came  up  to  me,  and  learning  what 
was  the  object  of  the  meeting  which  I  was  about  to  at- 
tend, he  gave  me  a  very  handsome  sum  which  he  desired 
me  to  present.  I  will  not  mention  what  the  sum  was, 
for  it  would  be  a  violation  of  good  taste  to  do  so ;  but  I 
think  it  only  just  to  mention  his  name,  and  to  show 
that  I  really  feel  that  we  owe  a  great  debt  of  gratitude 
to  gentlemen  professing  his  persuasion  for  the  good 
which  they  have  done." 

During  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  absence  in  Russia,  an 
important  change  took  place  in  the  direction  of  politi- 
cal affairs  at  home.  On  the  25th  June,  1846,  Sir  Rob- 
ert Peel  was  defeated  on  the  Irish  Coercion  Bill,  and 
two  days  later  his  Ministry  resigned.  The  hopes  of  the 
Jews  rose  high  when  Lord  John  Russell,  the  author  of 
the  repeal  of  the  Test  and  Corporation  Acts,  and  a 
prominent  sympathizer  with  the  cause  of  Jewish  eman- 
cipation, was  invited  by  the  Queen  to  form  a  new  ad- 


A  Busy  Decade.  141 

ministration.  At  the  very  first  meeting  of  the  1846-47 
session  of  tlie  Board  of  Deputies,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore, 
who  enjoyed  tlie  personal  friendship  of  the  new  Premier, 
promised  to  use  his  influence  to  obtain  the  repeal  of  the 
remaining  disabilities.  Unfortunately  other  urgent  po- 
litical questions  so  completely  absorbed  the  time  of  the 
new  Ministry  that  they  were  unable  to  give  any  imme- 
diate attention  to  the  Jewish  question.  On  May  22d, 
1847,  however.  Parliament  was  dissolved,  and  at  the 
general  election  which  followed.  Baron  Lionel  de  Roths- 
child was  elected  one  of  the  members  for  the  City  of 
London.  Being  unable  to  take  his  seat  in  consequence 
of  the  obnoxious  wording  of  the  oath,  the  Government 
were  forced  to  take  action  in  accordance  with  their  well- 
known  proclivities. 

On  the  16th  December  Lord  John  Hussell,  in  an  able 
and  exhaustive  speech,  moved  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, "That  this  House  resolve  itself  into  a  Commit- 
tee on  the  Removal  of  Civil  and  Religious  Disabilities 
affecting  Her  Majesty's  Jewish  subjects."  An  interest- 
ing debate  ensued,  and  the  motion  was  carried  by  256 
to  186  votes.  A  Bill  was  introduced  on  the  20th  De- 
cember. The  unimpeachable  conduct  of  the  Jews  in 
the  municipal  offices  they  had  filled  afforded  their  par- 
liamentary friends  a  new  argument  in  their  favor ;  and 
the  high  character  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  Sir  David 
Salomons,  and  Baron  de  Rothschild  was  quoted  more 
than  once  by  the  partisans  of  the  Bill.  The  Prime 
Minister  in  his  opening  speech  made  very  dexterous  use 
of  this  argument.     He  said  : 

"  We  have  been  told,  also,  that  there  is  a  very  solemn 
denunciation  in  the  prophecies  which  should  prevent 
our  granting  to  the  Jews  the  rights  they  claim.     But,  I 


142  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

would  ask,  where  it  is  that  those  who  use  this  argument 
would  draw  the  line  ?  In  this  country  we  have  inuch 
relaxed  the  rigor  of  our  enactments  respecting  them. 
A  Jew  has  been  a  magistrate ;  a  Jew  has  been  a  sheriff. 
By  a  late  statute,  which  was  introduced  by  the  Right 
Honorable  member  for  Tamworth,  Jews  may  hold  offices 
in  corporations ;  and  it  was  but  the  other  day  that  a 
Jew  was  admitted  to  the  office  of  Alderman  in  the  Cor- 
poration of  the  City  of  London.  I  ask  you  what  right 
or  business  have  you  to  interpret  a  prophecy  so  as  to 
draw  the  line  between  an  Alderman  and  a  Commissioner 
of  Customs,  between  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  a  per- 
son having  a  right  to  sit  in  Parliament  ?" 

These  observations  derived  especial  force  from  the 
circumstance  that  ''  the  Right  Honorable  member  for 
Tamworth,"  Sir  Robert  Peel,  had  at  first  declared  him- 
self against  the  Bill.  On  the  second  reading,  to  the 
great  surprise  of  the  House,  the  ex-premier  announced 
that  he  had  changed  his  mind  and  both  spoke  and  voted 
in  its  favor.  In  this  speech  Sir  Robert  several  times 
referred  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore.  The  following  pas- 
sage may  be  quoted  : 

"  I  have  other  motives  that  weigh  with  me.  There 
are  countries  in  which  the  Jews  are  still  subject  to  per- 
secution and  oppression.  Twice  within  the  last  three 
or  four  years  has  a  British  subject,  distinguished  for 
his  benevolence  and  philanthropy.  Sir  Moses  Montefi- 
ore, repaired  to  distant  lands,  in  the  hope  of  mitigating 
the  hard  lot  of  the  suffering  Jews.  He  repaired  to  St. 
Petersburg  for  the  purpose  of  imploring  mercy  towards 
the  Jews  in  Poland.  He  repaired  to  the  East  for  the 
purpose  of  relieving,  if  possible,  the  Jews  in  Palestine, 
from  shameful  wrongs,  perpetrated  on  the  pretext  that 


A  Busy  Decade.  143 

they  murdered  Christian  children  in  order  that  their 
blood  might  be  available  for  the  Passover.  He  carried 
with  him  letters  of  recommendation  from  British 
Ministers,  certifying  his  high  character  for  integrity 
and  honor,  and  the  purity  of  the  motives  by  which  he 
was  actuated.  How  much  more  persuasive  would 
those  letters  have  been  if  they  could  have  announced 
the  fact  that  every  ancient  prejudice  against  the  Jews 
had  been  extinguished  here,  and  that  the  Jew  was  on  a 
perfect  equality,  as  to  civil  rights,  with  his  Christian 
fellow-citizen." 

The  Bill  was  passed ;  but  on  reaching  the  Lords  it 
shared  the  fate  of  its  predecessors  and  was  defeated  by 
163  to  128  votes.  Baron  de  Rothschild  hereupon  re- 
signed his  seat. 

As  soon  as  the  result  of  the  deliberations  of  the 
Upper  Chamber  was  made  known,  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore  convened  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Deputies  to 
consider  by  what  means  the  agitation  should  be  con- 
tinued. It  was  resolved  to  confide  it  to  a  special  com- 
mittee, the  chairmanship  of  which  was  offered  to  the 
President  of  the  Board.  Sir  Moses  accepted  the  honor, 
and  began  forthwith  to  organize  a  formidable  move- 
ment. He  secured  the  co-operation  of  the  Goldsmids, 
who  had  already  distinguished  themselves  by  their 
exertions  in  the  cause,  and  drew  up  a  form  of  petition 
which  he  distributed  among  all  the  metropolitan  and 
provincial  Jewish  congregations  for  signature.  In 
January,  1848,  he  was  enabled  to  send  up  a  large  num- 
ber of  memorials  to  the  House  of  Lords  in  favor  of 
Lord  John  Russell's  Bill.  His  committee  met  three 
times  a  week  during  something  more  than  a  year  at 
Baron  Rothschild's  offices  In  New  Court,  St.  Swithiu's 


144  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Lane.  The  Lords,  however,  again  threw  out  the 
measure,  and  the  Jews,  disheartened  by  their  want  of 
success,  gradually  dropped  their  agitation. 

From  this  time  until  1858,  when,  through  the  per- 
sonal exertions  of  Baron  de  Rothschild  and  Sir  David 
Salomons  the  Jewish  Disabilities  were  at  last  repealed. 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore  was  but  little  concerned  in  the 
agitation.  He  remained,  however,  to  the  end  Chairman 
of  the  Special  Committee  of  the  Deputies  charged  with 
its  organization,  and  when  eventually  his  nephew  was 
permitted  to  take  his  seat  in  the  Commons,  he  was  the 
first  to  offer  him  his  congratulations.  Baron  de  Roths- 
child, in  the  course  of  his  reply,  expressed  a  hope  which 
to-day  reads  almost  like  a  prophecy.  "  Permit  me,"  he 
wrote,  "to  felicitate  you  upon  an  event  in  which  we 
have  a  strong  common  interest,  and  to  reciprocate  the 
hope  that  you,  too,  may  long  live  to  enjoy  the  advan- 
tages and  to  witness  the  ulterior  results  which  may  be 
expected  to  flow  from  it." 

Sir  Moses  had  no  Parliamentary  ambition,  although, 
had  he  desired  it,  he  could  have  been  returned  without 
opposition,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  for  the  division 
of  the  county  of  Kent  in  which  he  resides.  His  family 
has,  however,  never  ceased  to  be  represented  in  St. 
Stephens,  and  at  the  present  time  a  nephew  (Mr.  Arthur 
Cohen,  Q.C.)  and  a  grand-nephew  (Sir  Nathaniel  de 
Rothschild)  occupy  seats  in  the  Commons.  The  wish 
has  often  been  expressed  that  the  last  shadow  of 
Jewish  disability  might  be  removed  from  the  British 
Constitution  by  the  admission  of  a  Jew  to  the  House 
of  Lords ;  and  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  has  been,  not  un- 
reasonably, indicated  as  the  man  upon  whom  such  a 
distinction  should  fall.     There  are  those,  both  within 


A  Busy  Decade.  145 

and  without  the  Jewish  community,  who  still  hope  to 
see  this  wish  fulfilled. 

Throughout  the  Emancipation  struggle  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore's  heart  remained  as  heretofore  with  his 
foreign  brethren.  This  will  account  for  his  not  taking 
so  prominent  a  part  in  the  solution  of  tlie  great  political 
question  at  home  as  his  less  travelled  relatives  and  col- 
leagues. The  foreign  Jews,  particularly  those  in  the 
East,  remained  in  a  distressing  state,  a  prey  not  only  to 
persecuting  laws,  but  persecuting  popular  passion.  The 
negative  indignity  of  political  disability  that  had  been 
the  great  trouble  of  the  British  Jews  was  happiness  in 
comparison  with  the  positive  hardships,  the  misery,  and 
insecurity,  which  beset  the  lives  of  thousands  of  their 
brethren  in  Eastern  Europe  and  Western  Asia.  It  was 
well  for  them  that  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  did  interest 
himself  in  their  welfare. 

A  revival  of  the  Blood  Accusation  at  Damascus  en- 
gaged his  attention  towards  the  middle  of  1847.  In 
April  of  that  year,  a  Christian  child  had  disappeared, 
and  the  Jews  had  been  charged  with  murdering  it  in 
order  to  employ  its  blood  for  ritual  purposes.  The 
wretched  superstition  was  supported  by  the  French 
Consulate,  the  chief  of  which  represented  to  the 
Ottoman  Governor,  Sefata  Pasha,  that  it  was  credibly 
established  that  the  Jews  used  Christian  blood  in  the 
celebration  of  their  Passover.  Sefata  Pasha  does  not 
seem  to  have  been  acquainted  with  the  famous  Firman 
of  the  12th  Ramazan,  which  vindicated  the  Jews  from 
this  accusation  under  the  hand  and  seal  of  the  Padishah 
himself,  for  he  ordered  a  strict  search  to  be  instituted  in 
the  Jewish  quarter,  and  although  nothing  of  an  incrimi- 
nating nature  was  found,  imprisoned  several  Jews  on 
7 


146  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefio^^e. 

suspicion.  Ultimately  the  missing  boy,  who  had  been 
staying  at  Baalbec,  reappeared  in  good  health,  but  the 
Jewish  prisoners  were  not  released. 

On  these  facts  being  brought  under  the  notice  of 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  he  determined  to  seek  an  inter- 
view with  the  French  king,  in  order  to  assure  his  co- 
religionists in  future  against  the  extraordinary  malev- 
olence of  the  French  diplomatic  agents  in  the  East. 
Accompanied  by  Lady  Montefiore  and  Dr.  Loewe,  he 
proceeded  to  Paris,  where  M.  Guizot  lent  a  ready  ear 
to  his  complaint,  and  obtained  for  him  an  audience  of 
Louis  Philippe.  His  Majesty,  more  cordial  than  in 
1840,  assured  his  Jewish  visitor  that  he  regarded  the 
Blood  Accusation  as  a  gross  calumny  on  the  Jews. 
He  expressed  his  indignation  that  it  should  have  been 
countenanced  by  any  person  employed  by  his  Govern- 
ment, and  promised  that  every  necessary  step  should 
be  taken  to  prevent  a  repetition  of  the  outrage.  This 
promise  His  Majesty  did  not  forget.  Sir  Moses,  a 
short  time  after  his  return  to  England,  had  the  satis- 
faction of  receiving  the  following  letter  from  M. 
Guizot : 

"Paris,  August  35<7t,  1847. 

"  SiK :  The  King  has  sent  to  me  a  letter,  addressed 
by  you  to  him  on  the  9th  of  this  month,  on  the  subject 
of  the  prejudice  which  unhappily  prevails  against  the 
Israelites  in  the  East,  and  which  accuses  them  of  using 
human  blood  in  their  sacrifices.  You  express  a  wish 
that  the  agents  of  His  Majesty  in  the  Levant  shall  not 
only  be  restrained  from  contributing  in  any  way  to  up- 
hold such  a  prejudice,  but  that  they  shall  employ  every 
means  in  their  power  to  discountenance  and  refute  it. 

"The  King's  Government  regards  the  imputation  in 


A  Busy  Decade.  147 

question  as  false  and  calumnious,  and  its  agents  are  gen- 
erally too  enlightened  to  make  themselves  the  oi'gans  of 
it.  The  Government  regrets  and  censures  it  in  the  most 
express  terms.  This  it  is  eager  to  do  in  the  case  to 
which  you  refer,  relative  to  a  Christian  child  at  Damas- 
cus, who  had  disappeared  in  April  last,  and  the  accusa- 
tion which  the  agent  of  the  French  Consulate  did  not 
scruple  to  prefer  on  that  subject  to  the  Pasha  against 
the  Jews.  No  direct  information  having  been  received 
on  that  subject,  I  have  called  for  explanations  from  the 
King's  consul  at  Damascus,  directing  him,  if  the  case  as 
reported  to  you  be  correct,  to  express  on  my  part  the 
severest  censure  of  the  conduct  of  the  individual,  who, 
on  a  mere  report,  should  cast  such  imputations  on  a 
whole  people. 

"  Accept,  sir,  the  assurance  of  my  most  distinguished 
consideration.  Guizot." 

The  consular  officers  were  subsequently  censured, 
but  it  was  only  after  very  great  difficulty  and  a  long 
correspondence  with  the  Turkish  authorities  that  the 
imprisoned  Jews  were  set  free. 

In  1854  Sir  Moses  was  again  at  work  in  the  interests 
of  the  Turkish  Jews.  He  directed  the  attention  of  the 
Earl  of  Clarendon  to  their  condition,  and  memorialized 
the  British  Government  to  include  them  in  their  schemes 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Turkish  raijahs.  He  also  corre- 
sponded with  Lord  Stratford  de  Redcliffe,  and  obtained 
through  him  several  important  decisions,  which  helped 
to  protect  the  provincial  Jews  against  the  rapacity  of 
local  officials. 

A  vast  amount  of  miscellaneous  business — both  for- 
eign and  domestic — was  transacted  by  Sir  Moses  at  this 


148  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

period  at  the  Board  of  Deputies.  Among  other  inter- 
esting matters,  we  find  him,  in  1854,  corresponding 
witli  several  Spanish  noblemen  on  the  readmission  of 
the  Jews  to  Spain.  M.  Furtado,  of  the  Consistoire 
Israelite  de  St.  Esprit,  first  wrote  to  him  on  the  subject, 
and,  on  the  recommendation  of  that  gentleman,  he 
formed  a  committee  to  take  the  matter  in  hand.  The 
proposal  was  brought  before  the  Cortes  at  Madrid  some 
months  later,  but  was  lost  by  seventeen  votes.  After 
the  dissolution  of  the  Committee,  Sir  Moses'  nephew, 
Mr.  H.  Guedalla,  gave  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the 
question,  and  it  was  mainly  through  his  exertions  in 
1868  and  1880,  that  General  Prim  and  Senor  Sagasta, 
announced  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Expulsion  of 
1492. 

In  home  affairs  Sir  Moses  zealously  continued  to 
watch  the  work  of  Parliament  in  so  far  as  it  affected 
the  interests  of  his  co-religionists.  He  procured  the 
insertion  of  clauses  protecting  Jewish  marriages  in  the 
Marriage  Act,  corresponded  with  Sir  George  Grey  on 
the  bearing  of  the  law  on  Jewish  Friendly  Societies, 
and  induced  the  Lord  Advocate  of  Scotland  to  make 
considerable  alterations  in  a  Bill  for  the  Pegistration  of 
Births  in  Scotland  in  order  to  meet  Jewish  requirements. 

By  far  the  largest  portion  of  his  time  was,  however, 
given  to  his  brethren  in  the  Holy  Land.  His  labors 
during  this  busy  decade  include  no  less  than  three  pil- 
grimages to  Palestine.  In  January,  1849,  the  cholera 
broke  out  at  Tiberias.  As  soon  as  the  intelligence 
reached  England,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  issued  an  apjoeal 
to  the  Anglo-Jewish  community.  The  period  was  one 
of  great  commercial  depression,  and  the  appeal  was  not 
successful.   The  subscriptions  fell  short  of  £200.   Mean- 


A  Busy  Decade.  149 

wliile  the  distress  spread  in  all  directions.  The  Chris- 
tian Conversionist  Societies  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  to  push  forward  tlieir  propaganda,  and,  be- 
ing well  supplied  with  funds,  were  for  a  time  exception- 
ally fortunate  in  making  converts.  This  only  added  to 
the  distress  of  the  remaining  faithful,  and  in  March  they 
addressed  a  letter  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  pressing  him 
to  come  to  their  assistance.  The  benevolent  Baronet 
lost  no  time  in  responding  to  this  prayer.  Accompanied 
by  Lady  Montefiore  and  Colonel  Gawler  (an  ex-governor 
of  South  Australia,  who  had  gone  deep  into  schemes 
for  the  colonization  of  Palestine),  he  started  for  Jeru- 
salem early  in  May.  He  did  not  go  further  on  this 
occasion  than  the  Holy  City,  and  confined  himself  to 
the  distribution  of  money  to  the  needy  of  all  confes- 
sions. The  amount  he  gave  away  is  said  to  have  ex- 
ceeded £5000. 

The  second  journey  took  place  in  1855,  under  much 
graver  circumstances.  The  outbreak  of  the  Russian 
war  in  1853  had  stopped  the  influx  of  charitable  con- 
tributions from  Poland  upon  which  a  large  number  of 
the  Jews  of  Palestine  depended  for  their  daily  bread. 
This  misfortune  was  aggravated  by  a  failure  of  the 
crops,  followed  by  one  of  the  severest  winters  ever  ex- 
perienced in  the  Holy  Land.  Neither  food  nor  fuel 
were  procurable,  and,  to  crown  the  misery,  a  severe 
epidemic  of  small-pox  appeared  in  Jerusalem  itself. 
The  Chief  Rabbi  set  out  for  Europe  to  collect  funds, 
but  died  on  his  way  at  Alexandria.  In  England,  Dr. 
Adler,  and  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  issued  an  appeal,  and 
succeeded  in  collecting  nearly  £20,000.  Remittances 
amounting  to  £8000  were  made  to  the  distressed  com- 
munities, and  a  scheme  was  drawn  up  to  expend  the 


150  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

balance  on  works  of  more  permanent  usefulness  than  a 
mere  eleemosynary  distribution.  About  this  time  a 
wealthy  and  charitable  Israelite  of  New  Orleans,  named 
Judali  Touro,  died,  and,  although  perfectly  unknown 
to  Sir  Moses,  bequeathed  to  him  $50,000,  to  be  applied, 
as  he  might  think  fit,  for  the  benefit  of  his  co-reli- 
gionists in  Palestine.  Sir  Moses  resolved  to  proceed 
once  more  to  the  East  to  ascertain  personally  the  best 
means  of  expending  this  legacy,  as  well  as  the  remain- 
der of  the  London  Fund.  Accompanied  by  his  de- 
voted wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  Guedalla,  Dr.  Loewe,  and 
Mr.  G.  Kursheedt,  one  of  the  executors  of  Touro's  will, 
he  set  out  in  May,  1855.  The  party  journeyed  md 
Hanover,  Prague,  Trieste,  Corfu,  and  Constantinople. 
In  the  Turkish  capital  a  Firman,  permitting  purchases 
of  land  in  Palestine,  was  obtained  from  the  Sultan  by 
the  aid  of  Lord  Stratford  de  Eedcliffe.  Arrived  at 
Jerusalem,  Sir  Moses  encountered  considerable  opposi- 
tion to  his  determination  to  devote  the  funds  in  his 
hands  to  reproductive  enterprises.  The  Jews  con- 
sidered that  it  was  no  part  of  their  duty  to  work  or  to 
learn  to  earn  their  living,  and  protested  that  their  task 
in  life  was  sufficiently  fulfilled  by  prayer  and  religious 
exercises.  With  his  usual  good  sense,  Sir  Moses  per- 
sisted in  his  wise  resolution.  He  laid  the  foundation- 
stone  of  a  hospital,  planned  the  Touro  Almshouses 
outside  the  Jaffa  Gate,  gave  orders  for  the  erection  of 
a  windmill,  opened  a  girls'  school  and  an  industrial 
school,  had  the  public  slaughtei-ing- place  removed  from 
the  Jewish  quarter,  where  offal  had  been  allowed  to 
accumulate  since  the  days  of  the  Caliph  Omar,  to  a 
place  without  the  city,  and  established  agricultural 
colonies  at  Jaffa,  Safed,  and  Tiberias. 


A  Busy  Decade.  151 

On  his  way  home  he  stopped  for  a  few  days  at  Alex- 
andria, where  he  was  royally  entertained  by  the  Yice- 
roy,  Said  Pasha,  who  in  1S52  had  been  his  guest  at 
Park  Lane.  A  palace  was  placed  at  his  disposal,  and 
his  meals  were  sent  to  him  daily  by  the  Pasha.  Said 
was  then  full  of  his  scheme  for  a  canal  through  the 
Isthmus  of  Suez,  and  at  his  farewell  interview  with  Sir 
Moses  he  asked  him  to  use  his  influence  to  raise  capital 
for  the  enterprise  in  England.  Sir  Moses  explained 
how  unpopular  the  project  was,  but  expressed  his  opin- 
ion that  if  the  Khedive  would  guarantee  a  dividend  of 
five  per  cent. English  money  might  still  be  forthcoming. 
His  Highness'  answer  was  worthy  of  his  exalted  posi- 
tion. "  If  that  is  the  only  way  in  which  it  can  be  ob- 
tained," he  answered,  "  I  will  do  without  it.  I  have 
already  sunk  two  millions  of  my  own  money  in  the 
undertaking,  and  that  should  be  a  sufficient  guarantee 
for  any  investor." 

The  third  mission  of  this  series  took  place  in  1857, 
but  it  had  no  public  significance. 


152  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejiore. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   MOETAKA   CASE,    ETC. 

Lady  Montefiore's  Health  gives  Cause  for  Anxiety. — A  "Winter  in 
Italy. — Sad  Condition  of  the  Italian  Jews. —Return  to  England. — 
The  Moitara  Case. — Abduction  of  a  Jewish  Boy  by  the  Roman 
Inquisition  on  the  Ground  that  he  had  been  Secretly  Baptized. — 
The  Pope  Refuses  to  Surrender  him — Appeal  to  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore. — Excitement  in  Europe. — Another  Attempted  Secret  Bap- 
tism.— The  Pretensions  of  the  Papacy. — Action  of  Cliristian  Pub- 
lic Bodies  in  England. — Indignation  Meetings. — Consternation 
Among  the  Jews  of  the  Papal  States. — Sir  Moses  Monteflore  In- 
terviews Lord  Malmesbury. — Representations  to  Napoleon  III. — 
The  Powers  Remonstrate  with  the  Papal  Government. — Non  Pos- 
sumus. — Sir  Moses  Monteflore  Proceeds  to  Rome. — Negotiations 
with  Cardinal  Antonelli. — The  Pope  Refuses  to  see  Sir  Moses  or 
to  Surrender  the  Child. — Subsequent  Efforts  unavailing. — The 
Labors  of  1859,  1860,  and  1861. — Miscellaneous  Foreign  Business. 
— The  Morocco  Relief  Fund. — Persecution  of  the  Syrian  Chris- 
tians.— Appeals  of  Sir  Moses  Monteflore  and  M.  Cremieux. — The 
"  Blood  Accusation"  Tablet  at  Damascus. 

TowAEDS  the  end  of  1857,  Lady  Montefiore's  health 
gave  cause  for  much  anxiety.  Since  the  trying  journey 
to  Russia,  in  the  depth  of  the  winter  of  1846,  she  had 
been  more  or  less  ailing,  and  her  indisposition  had,  un- 
happily, shown  but  little  sign  of  yielding  to  medical  skill. 
The  pliysicians  now  advised  that  it  would  be  dangerous 
to  winter  in  England,  and  she  accordingly  repaired  with 
her  husband  to  Italy.  Here,  during  several  months, 
the  affectionate  pair  roamed  from  town  to  town,  seeking 


The  Mortara  Case.  etc.  153 


liealtli  in  change  of  scene  and  the  geniality  of  the  cli- 
mate, and  finding  happiness  in  renewed  efforts  to  re- 
lieve the  misery  of  their  Italian  co-rehgionists,  still  in 
a  sad  and  degraded  condition.  Many  passages  in  Lady 
Montefiore's  diaries — some  have  been  quoted  in  a  pre- 
ceding chapter — testify  to  her  deep  sympathy  with  the 
Italian  Hebrews.  Their  oppression  touched  her  nearly. 
The  name  she  bore  had  been  adopted  in  an  ItaHan 
Ghetto,  and  she  must  have  frequently  thought  with 
gratitude  of  the  circumstance  that  had  naturalized  it  in 
a  freer  clime.  The  dawn  of  a  new  era  for  Italy  was, 
however,  already  perceptible  on  the  political  horizon. 
At  the  very  moment  that  Sir  Moses  and  Lady  Monte- 
fiore  were  celebrating  the  Passover — the  Jewish  feast 
of  Freedom — at  Florence,  Mazzini  was  maturing  his 
plans  at  Genoa  for  another  of  the  insurrections  upon 
which,  but  a  few  years  later,  the  structure  of  Italian 
Liberty  was  reared. 

In  July  the  Montefiores  were  again  in  England.  A 
few  weeks  after  their  return,  the  newspapers  gave  cur- 
rency to  a  story  which  redirected  their  attention  to  the 
woes  of  their  Italian  co-religionists.  Quoting  from  the 
Bologna  correspondence  of  a  Turin  journal,  the  Jewish 
Chronicle,  of  August  15th,  1858,  published  the  follow- 
ing intelligence : 

"  On  Wednesday  evening,  the  23d  of  June,  an  officer 
of  the  Papal  police,  accompanied  by  gens  cfarmes,  pre- 
sented himself  at  the  residence  of  Signor  Mortara,  an 
Israelite,  and  demanded,  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Of- 
fice, the  surrender  of  one  of  his  boys.  The  same  had 
been  secretly  baptized  by  the  Christian  servant-maid  in 
the  house,  which  had  been  betrayed  to  the  Holy  Office. 
The  terror  and  consternation  of  the  Jewish  family  can 
7* 


154  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

easily  be  imagined,  when,  despite  all  remonstrance, 
the  order  was  executed,  and  the  boj,  on  the  evening 
of  the  24th,  was  transferred  to  the  Convent  of  the 
Dominicans,  in  order  to  be  brought  up  there  as  a  Chris- 
tian." 

At  the  ensuing  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Deputies  on 
the  lYth,  the  President's  attention  was  called  to  this  ex- 
traordinary story  by  Mr.  Henry  Harris — at  present  the 
Treasurer,  and,  we  beheve,  the  senior  member  of  the 
Board.  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  replied,  that  he  had  al- 
ready seen  the  paragraph,  but  that  it  had  not  taken  him 
by  surprise,  as  during  his  recent  stay  in  Italy,  he  had 
been  much  saddened  to  observe  the  oppressed  condition 
of  many  of  the  Jewish  communities.  He  suggested 
that  inquiries  should  be  made,  with  a  view  to  ascertain- 
ing whether  the  paragraph  was  true,  and  if  so,  what 
were  the  full  details.  The  suggestion  was  agreed  to,  and 
inquiries  were  immediately  set  on  foot.  The  story  they 
disclosed  was  startling  in  the  extreme. 

On  the  date  given  in  the  extract  quoted  by  the  Jew- 
ish newspaper,  a  number  of  officers  of  the  Roman  In- 
quisition had  appeared  at  the  house  of  Momolo,  or  Solo- 
mon, Mortara,  a  Jew  of  Bologna,  and  without  assigning 
any  reason,  had  forcibly  carried  off  Edgar  Levi  Mortara, 
his  infant  son,  aged  six  years.  Several  applications 
were  made  to  the  Holy  Office  for  an  explanation  of  the 
outrage,  and  eventually  the  parents  of  the  abducted  boy 
were  informed,  that  he  had  been  secretly  baptized  when 
one  year  old  by  his  nurse,  Mina  Morisi,  and  that  he  was 
consequently  the  property  of  the  Church.  The  child, 
it  was  further  stated,  was  iU  at  the  time,  and  the  nurse, 
anxious  for  its  welfare,  had  consulted  a  druggist  named 
Lepori,  who  had  piously  suggested  that  it  should  be 


The  Mortara  Case,  etc.  155 

baptized.  For  five  years  Mina  had  kept  the  story- 
secret,  but  it  had  recently  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  Inquisition  through  her  confessor,  and  the  Church 
had  determined  to  claim  its  own.  Mortara  urged  upon 
the  consideration  of  the  Holy  Office  several  circum- 
stances which  seemed  to  indicate  that  the  narrative  of 
Mina  Morisi  had  been  concocted,  and  that  no  baptism 
had  taken  place  at  all.  For  reply,  he  was  informed, 
that  the  tribunal  of  the  Inquisition  had  thoroughly 
sifted  the  case,  and  had  established  the  right  of  the 
Church  to  the  child.  He  then  addressed  himseK  to 
Cardinal  Antonelli,  but  with  no  better  result,  and  finally 
he  petitioned  the  Poj)e.  The  Holy  Father  informed 
him  that  there  was  only  one  means  of  recovering  his 
son,  and  that,  by  following  liim  into  his  new  faith. 
During  these  unhappy  negotiations,  the  mother  of  the 
stolen  child  died  of  grief. 

Together  with  these  details  came  an  appeal  to  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  for  assistance,  signed  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  twenty-one  Sardinian  Jewish  congrega- 
tions. A  special  meeting  of  the  Deputies  was  sum- 
moned, to  consider  this  appeal  and  the  new  information. 
The  result  of  their  deliberations  was,  that  a  sub-com- 
mittee was  appointed,  under  the  Chairmanship  of  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore,  to  concert  action  with  foreign  Jew- 
ish bodies.  In  the  mean  time,  the  Itahan  papers  circu- 
lated the  story  all  over  Europe,  and  a  very  painful  sen- 
sation was  caused  by  it,  even  in  Catholic  countries. 

No  action  of  the  Papal  Government  more  distinctly 
marked  the  abandonment  of  the  Hberal  principles,  by 
which  Pius  IX.  had  appeared  to  be  actuated  before  the 
flight  to  Gaeta.  Even  those  friends  of  the  Papacy  who 
had  formerly  regarded  the  Pontiff  as  hardly  sufficiently 


156  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

orthodox,  felt  that  this  revival  of  the  mediaeval  rights 
of  the  Inquisition  was  a  grave  error.  The  prevailing 
indignation  was  increased  by  another  and  similar  story, 
reported  about  the  same  time  from  Genoa.  A  Catholic 
nurse,  having  charge  of  a  Jewish  infant,  secretly  took 
it  to  her  confessor  for  baptism.  The  priest  regretfully 
explained  to  the  woman,  that  in  Piedmont  the  mere  act 
of  baptism  would  not,  as  in  the  Papal  territories,  insure 
the  child  being  brought  up  as  a  Christian,  but  he  ad- 
vised her  to  deprive  the  infant  of  sustenance,  and  when 
it  was  on  the  point  of  death  to  bring  it  to  him,  and  he 
would  baptize  it  and  save  its  soul.  The  conspiracy  was 
discovered  by  the  doctor  attending  the  child,  and,  the 
nurse  having  confessed,  the  priest  was  prosecuted. 

The  liberal  journals  throughout  Europe  severely  com- 
mented on  this  and  the  Mortara  case.  The  official  Gov- 
ernment paper  at  Turin  called  on  every  civilized  coun- 
try to  demand  the  restitution  of  the  boy  Mortara ;  the 
Journal  des  Dehats  counselled  the  withdrawal  of  the 
French  Ambassador  at  the  Papal  Court ;  and  the  Siecle, 
the  organ  of  Prince  J^apoleon,  considered  that  such  out- 
rages had  rendered  the  abolition  of  the  Papacy  a  Euro- 
pean duty.  Public  bodies  also  took  the  matter  in  hand. 
At  the  Annual  Conference  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance, 
a  vote  of  sympathy  with  the  Jews  was  unanimously 
agreed  to  on  the  motion  of  Sir  Culling  Eardley,  who 
communicated  it  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore.  The  Com- 
mittees of  the  Protestant  Association,  and  the  Scottish 
Reformation  Society,  j)etitioned  for  the  intervention  of 
the  British  Government,  and  indignation  meetings  were 
held  in  London,  ISTew  York,  Philadelphia,  and  many 
other  cities. 

The  excitement  was  much  aggravated  when  the  un- 


TTie  Mortara  Case,  etc.  157 

compromising  attitude  of  the  Papacy  was  made  known 
through  its  organs  in  the  Press,  ]^o  single  detail  of 
the  story  was  denied :  on  the  contrary,  the  Ultramon- 
tanes  congratulated  themselves  on  what  had  taken  place. 
The  Volksblatt,  of  Wurtemburg,  a  clerical  journal,  thus 
frankly  expounded  the  views  of  Eome:  "The  world, 
and  all  Christendom,  might  put  on  sackcloth,  yet  the 
child,  having  received  baptism,  must  remain  Catholic. 
Kome,  after  all,  only  ■^^shes  to  keep  open  to  the  child 
the  path  to  salvation,  and  in  any  case,  the  authority  of 
the  parents  over  their  child  has  to  yield  to  the  authority 
of  the  Church,  and  that  of  the  Pope."  The  Eoman 
correspondent  of  the  Journal  de  Bruxelles,  a  kind  of 
Belgian  Univers,  affected  to  see  the  hand  of  God  in  the 
iniquitous  proceedings.  "  The  knowledge  of  what  has 
occurred  at  Bologna,"  he  wrote,  "  will  only  exhibit  in 
stronger  relief  the  wisdom  of  the  Church,  the  paternal 
vigilance  of  the  Boman  Government  in  regard  to  its 
Israelitish  subjects,  and  the  mysterious  prodigies  of 
Grace,  which  sometimes  employs  the  means  most  un- 
expected and  most  extraordinary  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world  to  manifest  its  force."  The  most  shameless 
stories  were  invented  to  apologize  for  the  conduct  of 
the  Holy  Office.  A  favorite  theory  was,  that  by  a 
miracle  the  infant  Mortara  had  become  a  convinced 
CathoKc  even  before  his  abduction.  One  of  the  clerical 
papers  related,  that  when  he  entered  the  institution  of 
the  Catechumens,  he  perceived  a  statue  of  Our  Lady 
of  Tears.  "  Wliy  does  she  cry  ?"  he  asked.  "  She  is 
weeping,"  answered  his  attendants,  "  because  the  Jews 
do  not  become  converted,  and  are  not  willing  to  acknowl- 
edge her  divine  Son."  "  Then  she  is  weeping  for  my 
father  and  mother,"  replied  the  child. 


158  The  lAfe  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Meanwhile  the  utmost  consternation  seized  the  Jew- 
ish communities  in  the  Papal  States.  Scores  of  chil- 
dren were  hurriedly  sent  away  to  the  guardianship  of 
friends  in  Modena  and  Tuscany.  A  day  of  humiliation 
was  pubhcly  proclaimed  by  the  Eabbis  in  the  Roman 
Ghetto,  and  appeals  innumerable  were  addressed  to  the 
foreign  communities.  Dr.  Philippson,  the  able  and 
eloquent  Rabbi  of  Magdeburg,  impatient  of  the  diplo- 
matic and  reserved  action  of  the  eminent  Jews  in  Eng- 
land and  France,  obtained  the  signatures  of  forty  emi- 
nent German  Rabbis  to  a  memorial  to  the  Pope,  which 
he  forwarded  direct  to  the  Vatican.  About  the  same 
time  the  London  Board  of  Deputies,  flushed  with  its 
Damascus  and  Russian  successes,  proposed  that  a  Jew- 
ish mission  should  proceed  to  Rome.  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore declined  to  entertain  the  suggestion,  while  the 
ordinary  means  of  expostulating  with  a  foreign  Gov- 
ernment were  unexhausted,  and  it  consequently  fell  to 
the  ground.  On  the  4th  October  Sir  Moses  had  an  im- 
portant interview  with  the  Foreign  Secretary.  Lord 
Malmesbury  assured  him  that  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment was  fully  alive  to  the  importance  of  the  question 
involved  in  the  abduction  of  young  Mortara,  "  as  Prot- 
estants were  as  much  exposed  to  such  acts  of  injustice 
as  Jews,"  and  promised  to  make  strong  representations 
to  Rome.  At  the  same  time  the  Central  Jewish  Con- 
sistory of  France  presented  a  petition  to  the  Emperor 
^STapoleon  III.,  who  also  expressed  his  sympathy  with 
the  Jews,  and  promised  to  use  his  good  offices  with  the 
Pope.  The  result  of  these  negotiations  was  that  on 
the  17th  E"ovember  all  the  Great  European  Powers — 
Austria  not  excepted — addressed  private  remonstrances 
to  the   Papal   Government,  and   strongly  advised  the 


The  Mortara  Case.  etc.  159 


surrender  of  Mortara.  Tlie  reply  was  a  firm  Won 
possumus. 

The  project  of  a  Je\nsli  Mission  to  the  Pope  was  now 
revived,  aud  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Deputies  held 
on  the  22d  December  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  was  asked 
to  undertake  it.  "With  his  usual  alacrity  he  consented, 
although  it  seemed  to  many  a  forlorn  hope.  The 
veteran  Jewish  champion  was  more  sanguine  than  his 
colleagues,  and  in  his  hopefulness  was  encouraged  by 
his  kind-hearted  wife,  who  insisted  on  rising  from  her 
bed  of  sickness  to  bear  him  company  on  his  new  errand 
of  mercy.  By  the  advice  of  her  physicians  the  journey 
was  postponed  for  a  few  weeks,  and,  when  ultimately  it 
was  undertaken,  she  was  only  permitted  to  travel  by 
short  stages.  On  the  Sabbath,  February  5  th,  special 
prayers  to  prosper  the  Mission  were  read  in  all  the 
synagogues,  and  on  the  2Tth,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Hodgkin,  their  medical  attendant,  and  Mr.  Kursheedt, 
on  behalf  of  the  American  Israelites,  Sir  Moses  and 
Lady  Montefiore  left  London.  In  consequence  of  Lady 
Montefiore's  continued  indisposition  the  journey  was  a 
protracted  one,  and  Rome  was  not  reached  until  April 
5th. 

Prior  to  his  departure  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  had  been 
assured  of  the  sympathy  of  the  late  Prince  Consort,  and 
had  been  provided  with  cordial  letters  of  recommen- 
dation to  the  British  diplomatic  agent  at  Rome.  The 
Emperor  IS^apoleon  III.  had  also  promised  him  the  un- 
official support  of  the  French  representative,  the  Due 
de  Gramont.  The  delicate  semi-official  position  of 
British  agent  at  the  Papal  capital  was  at  this  period 
filled  by  the  late  Lord  Ampthill,  then  Mr.  Odo  Russell. 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore  had  already  met  Mr.  RusseU  at 


1 60  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Constantinople  in  1855  when  he  was  first  attache  under 
Lord  Stratford  de  Redcliffe,  and  it  was  with  pleasure 
that  he  renewed  the  acrjuaintance  of  a  young  man  of  so 
charming  a  presence  and  so  liberal  a  disposition.  Mr. 
Russell  proved  indefatigable  in  his  exertions  to  forward 
the  object  of  the  Jewish  mission  and  to  procure  an  in- 
terview for  Sir  Moses  with  the  Pope ;  but  the  greater 
the  pressure  he  brought  to  bear  on  the  Holy  See  the 
greater  seemed  the  resistance  it  offered.  At  first  a 
somewhat  humorous  disposition  to  temporize  was 
shown.  Cardinal  Antonelli,  doubtful  as  to  whether 
anything  could  be  done,  referred  Mr.  Russell  to  Mon- 
signore  Talbot.  In  his  turn  Monsignore  Talbot  was 
hopeful,  thought  that  the  Pope  would  receive  Sir  Moses, 
but  recommended  an  application  to  Monsignore  Paca, 
the  Papal  "  Maestro  di  Camera."  The  suggested  ap- 
plication was  made  but  no  reply  was  received.  After 
waiting  a  few  days  an  explanation  of  Monsignore 
Paca's  silence  was  asked  for,  when  it  was  unofficially 
intimated  to  Sir  Moses  that  it  was  not  usual  for  the 
Pa]3al  "  Maestro  di  Camera"  to  enter  into  correspond- 
ence with  private  individuals  on  public  matters.  In 
this  ill-timed  joke  some  twenty  days  were  wasted. 

Another  application  was  now  made  to  Cardinal  An- 
tonelli, and  Mr.  Russell  was  informed  that  the  Pope, 
considering  the  case  terminated,  had  finally  resolved 
not  to  see  Sir  Moses,  but  that  he  (the  Cardinal)  was 
willing  to  receive  the  Jewish  emissary  and  to  convey  to 
His  Holiness  the  petition  he  was  so  desirous  of  present- 
ing. Accordingly,  on  the  28th  April,  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore had  an  interview  with  the  Cardinal,  who  hstened 
courteously  to  all  he  had  to  say,  and  promised  to  lay  his 
memorial  before  the  Holy  Father.     A  few  days  later 


The  Mortara  Case,  etc.  161 

Mr.  Odo  Eiissell  was  requested  to  notify  to  Sir  Moses 
that  the  Pope  remained  immovable ;  that  it  had  been 
determined  that  Edgar  Mortara  should  be  educated  in 
the  Komish  faith,  but  that  when  he  attained  his  six- 
teenth or  seventeenth  year  he  would  be  "  free  to  follow 
his  own  judgment."  In  communicating  this  decision 
Mr.  Eussell  gave  sympathetic  expression  to  his  disap- 
pointment :  "  I  fear,"  he  wrote,  "  you  were  but  too  right 
in  saying  that  our  only  hope  now  rests  with  that  great 
God  whose  most  holy  laws  have  in  this  melancholy  case 
been  violated  by  the  hand  of  man." 

Sir  Moses  himself  was  deeply  chagrined  at  his  failure ; 
but  he  did  not  despair  of  eventual  success.  He  re- 
mained some  ten  days  in  Rome,  in  the  hope  of  inducing 
the  Pope  to  reverse  his  decision.  Even  after  his  return 
to  England  he  frequently  renewed  his  efforts.  On  the 
establishment  of  the  "  Alliance  Israelite  TJniverselle" 
in  1860  he  endeavored  to  concert  measures  with  that 
body  to  induce  the  Pope  to  reopen  the  question ;  and 
in  1861,  when  Yictor  Emmanuel  was  proclaimed  King  of 
Italy,  he  tried  to  interest  the  new  monarch  in  the  case. 
All,  however,  to  no  avail.  Edgar  Mortara  remained 
Catholic. 

How  deeply  the  susceptibilities  of  the  Papacy  were 
wounded  by  the  agitation  to  which  this  abduction  had 
given  rise  is  shown  by  a  speech  which  the  Pope  de- 
livered eight  years  later  to  the  assembled  canons  of  the 
Lateran  and  of  the  Basihca  of  St.  Peter,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  sixteenth  anniversary  of  the  return  to  Pome  from 
Gaeta.  Among  the  students  entered  for  education  as 
Catholics  in  the  Lateran  was  Mortara,  whom  Pius  in- 
cidentally addressed  thus : 

"  You  are  very  much  endeared  to  me,  my  son,  be- 


162  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

cause  I  have  obtained  yon  for  Christ  at  a  great  price. 
I  have  paid  a  very  large  ransom  on  yonr  account.  A 
universal  invective  has  broken  out  against  me  and  the 
Apostolic  Chair.  Governments  and  nations,  the  mighty 
of  the  world,  and  the  men  of  the  Press,  who  are  also 
the  power  of  the  day,  have  declared  war  against  me. 
Even  the  kings  have  placed  themselves  at  the  head  of 
the  campaign,  and  caused  their  ministers  to  write  me 
diplomatic  notes  on  your  account.  But  I  do  not  wish 
to  complain  of  kings.  All  I  wish  is  to  refer  to  the  out- 
rages, calumnies,  and  maledictions  pronounced  by  many 
individuals  who  appear  to  feel  indignation  that  the  good 
God  should  have  made  to  you  the  gift  of  the  true  faith, 
by  removing  you  from  the  darkness  of  death,  the  same 
in  which  your  family  is  still  immured.  They  complain 
chiefly  of  the  misfortune  suffered  by  your  parents  be- 
cause you  have  been  regenerated  by  the  holy  baptism, 
and  because  you  have  received  that  instruction  which 
God  was  pleased  to  grant  you." 

Since  then  nothing  has  been  heard  of  young  Mortara, 
except  that  in  due  course  he  was  formally  ordained  a 
priest. 

One  effect — fortunately  only  transitory — of  the  ill- 
success  of  the  Mission  to  Home  appears  to  have  been  that 
the  doughty  philanthropist  began  to  distrust  his  own 
powers  to  support  the  benevolent  enterprises  in  which 
he  was  engaged.  On  his  re-election  to  the  Presidency 
of  the  Board  of  Deputies,  at  the  opening  of  the  new 
session  in  1859,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  his  colleagues, 
the  burden  of  which  was  contained  in  the  following 
pai'agraph : 

"  I  am  constrained  to  add  that  I  fear  increasing  years 
may  ere  long  impair  such  efficiency  as  I  may  be  able,  at 


The  Mortara  Case,  etc,  163 

present,  to  exhibit  in  the  performance  of  my  duties,  and 
I  would,  therefore,  venture  to  hope  that  it  may  be 
agreeal^le  to  the  Board  to  permit  me  to  retire  from  the 
office  (the  presidency)  at  no  distant  date." 

The  feeling  that  prompted  this  letter  was  only  mo- 
mentary, and  the  minute-books  of  the  Deputies  contain 
ample  evidence  that  their  President's  "  efficiency  in  the 
performance  of  his  duties"  was  still  far  from  being  im- 
paired. The  years  1859,  1860,  and  1861  found  him  as 
busy  as  ever.  A  revival  of  the  Blood  Accusation  at 
Galatz  directed  his  attention  to  the  down-trodden  con- 
dition of  the  Roumanian  Jews,  and  he  induced  Lord 
John  Eussell  to  make  repeated  representations  to  both 
Constantinople  and  Bucharest  on  the  subject.  He  also 
prevailed  upon  the  Government  to  use  their  influence  to 
stop  a  brutal  persecution  of  the  Jews  of  Persia,  who  ad- 
dressed a  touching  appeal  to  him,  in  which  they  styled 
him  "  Our  Prince  and  Father."  Through  his  exertions, 
too,  Musurus  Pasha  obtained  redress  for  the  Jews  of 
Bagdad,  who  had  been  molested  in  their  possession  of 
the  tomb  of  the  Prophet  Ezekiel,  and  some  improve- 
ment was  effected  in  the  condition  of  the  Jews  of  the 
Ionian  Islands,  in  consequence  of  his  timely  represen- 
tations to  Mr.  Gladstone  on  his  appointment  as  High 
Commissioner  to  the  Islands.  In  1860  he  raised  a  fund 
of  over  £12,000  for  the  relief  of  the  Jewish  refugees 
from  Morocco,  who,  in  consequence  of  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  with  Spain,  and  the  fanaticism  to  which  it  gave 
rise  among  the  Moors,  had  fled  to  Gibraltar,  Algesiras, 
and  Tarifa.  The  condition  of  these  fugitives,  number- 
ing close  upon  5000,  was  pitiable  in  the  extreme,  but 
they  were  received  with  generous  hospitality  by  the  late 
General  Sir  WiUiam  Codrington,  Governor  of  Gibraltar, 


164  Th£,  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

and  son  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  old  friend,  the  hero 
of  Navarino,  and  by  the  Spanish  authorities,  both  eccle- 
siastical and  lay.  The  fund  raised  more  than  sufficed 
for  their  relief  and  repatriation,  and  with  the  balance 
schools  were  established  at  Tetuan,  Tangier,  and  Moga- 
dor. 

A  more  notable  instance  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's 
active  benevolence  occurred  later  in  tlie  same  year, 
when  tlie  Christians  of  Syria  were  attacked  b}^  the 
Druses  of  Mount  Lebanon.  The  disaster  was  terrible  ; 
20,000  Christians  who  had  escaped  massacre  wei-e 
wandering  in  the  open  country  without  food  or  fuel, 
and  in  peril  of  their  lives.  Immediately  on  reading 
the  news  in  the  Times,  Sir  Moses  hurried  up  to  town, 
and  called  personally  at  Printing  House  Square,  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  bearing  the  following  letter, 
which  he  requested  might  be  inserted : 

"  Sir  :  T  have  noticed  with  the  deepest  sympathy 
the  statement  made  last  week  in  the  House  of  Lords 
that,  owing  to  the  recent  outbreak  in  Syria,  there  are 
20,000  of  the  Christian  inhabitants,  women  and  children, 
wandering  over  its  mountains,  exposed  to  the  utmost 
peril.  Being  intimately  acquainted  with  the  nature  of 
that  country  and  the  condition  of  its  people,  I  appreci- 
ate, I  am  sorry  to  say,  but  too  painfully,  the  vast 
amount  of  misery  that  must  have  been  endured  and 
which  is  still  prevalent. 

"  I  believe  that  private  benevolence  may  do  some- 
thing towards  the  alleviation  of  the  distress  of  the 
unhappy  multitudes  now  defenceless,  homeless,  and 
destitute. 

"  I  well  know  from  experience  the  philanthropy  of 


The  Mortara  Case,  etc.  165 

my  fellow-countrymen,  and  I  venture  to  think  that  the 
public  would  gladly  and  without  delay  contribute  to  the 
raising  of  a  fund  to  be  applied,  as  circumstances  may 
require  and  under  judicious  management,  for  the  relief 
of  these  unfortunate  objects  of  persecution. 

"  I  would  suggest,  therefore,  that  a  small,  active,  and 
influential  Committee  be  at  once  formed  with  the  view 
of  raising  subscriptions  and  of  placing  themselves  in 
communication  wath  the  British  Consul-General  at 
Beyrout,  and  tlie  other  British  Consular  authorities 
throughout  Syria,  so  that  assistance  may  be  rendered 
by  the  remittance  of  money  and  the  transmission  of 
necessary  supplies ;  and  I  take  the  liberty  of  enclosing 
my  check  for  £200  towards  the  proposed  fund. 

"Your  recent  eloquent  and  judicious  advocacy  of  the 
cause  of  the  Syrian  Christians  has  encouraged  me  to 
address  you,  and  will,  I  trust,  be  a  suflicient  excuse  for 
my  so  doing. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir, 

"Yours  faithfully, 

"Moses  Montefioke. 

"East  Cliff  Lodge,  Ramsgate,  July  10." 

Curiously  enough,  the  very  next  day  an  appeal  on 
the  same  subject  was  addressed  to  the  Jews  of  France 
by  M.  Cremieux,  who  called  upon  his  co-religionists  to 
be  the  first  to  fly  to  the  assistance  of  their  persecuted 
Christian  brethren.  Both  appeals  were  very  successful. 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  Committee  alone  raised  £22,- 
500. 

This  action  of  the  two  men  who,  nineteen  j-ears 
before,  had  had  so  much  difiiculty  in  rescuing  their 
brethren   from   the    fanaticism    of    the   same    Syrian 


166  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Christians  who  were  now  persecuted  in  their  turn, 
affords  a  splendid  ilkistration  of  the  generous  and  for- 
giving spirit  which  Christianity  is  generally  supposed 
to  monopolize.  But  it  was  on  broader  grounds  than 
mere  generosity  or  magnanimity  that  these  noble  Jews 
took  up  this  movement — the  grounds  of  humanity  and 
religious  toleration.  Their  feelings  received  eloquent 
expression  in  the  stirring  farewell  verses  which  a  Jewish 
poet,  Leon  Halevj",  brother  of  the  composer,  addressed 
to  the  French  expeditionary  corps  on  its  departure  for 
the  scene  of  the  disorders : 

"  Pour  punir  des  meutres  inMmes, 
Vous  courez  aux  bords  syriens. 
Vengez  les  enfants  et  les  femmes, 
Sauvez  des  frSres,  des  cliretieus! 
Croisade  du  Dieu  qui  console, 
Tu  reunis  tous  les  croyants: 
Le  juif  a  donne  son  obole 
Comme  il  donnera  ses  enfants." 

And  still  there  were  fanatical  hearts  in  Europe  which 
this  action  of  the  Jews  could  not  soften.  One  journal 
publicly  insinuated  that  they  were  actuated  by  a  desire 
to  expiate  the  ritual  murder  of  Father  Thomas  in  ISiO. 
The  Jews  reaped,  however,  an  unexpected  reward. 
During  the  disturbances  at  Damascus  the  Church  of  the 
Capuchins  was  destroyed,  and  with  it  the  notorious 
"Blood  Accusation"  tablet,  imputing  the  alleged 
murder  of  Father  Thomas  to  the  Jews,  which  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  had  made  so  many  unsuccessful  efforts  to 
have  removed. 


Lady  Montefiore.  167 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

LADY    MONTEFIORE. 

Death  of  Lady  Montefiore. — Her  Early  Years. — Education. — Mar- 
riage.— Participation  in  her  Husband's  Humanitarian  Work. — 
Accompanies  Sir  Moses  on  his  Foreign  Missions. — Diaries  of  the 
Journeys  to  Palestine. — Extracts  from  her  Journals. — Home  Life. 
— Anecdote  Illustrative  of  her  Benevolence. — Communal  Labors. 
— The  Funeral  at  Ramsgate. — Memorial  Foundations. — The 
Tomb  on  the  East  Cliff. 

On  the  24:tli  September,  1862 — the  eve  of  the  Jewish 
New  Year  5623 — Sir  Moses  Monteiiore  experienced  the 
great  sorrow  of  his  life,  in  the  death  of  his  dear  help- 
mate of  fifty  years.  The  Continental  tours  advised  by 
the  doctors  had  proved  only  of  slight  avail,  and  since 
the  return  from  Rome  in  1859  so  visibly  had  her  health 
declined  that  even  these  had  had  to  be  abandoned.  Lady 
Montefiore  spent  the  last  year  of  her  life  alternately  in 
London  and  Ramsgate,  the  object  of  the  unceasing  soli- 
citude of  her  affectionate  husband.  During  the  summer 
of  1862,  when  the  Jubilee  of  her  married  life  was  cele- 
brated, a  slight  improvement  in  her  health  inspired  her 
friends  with  hope.  '•  Providence,"  as  one  of  her  biog- 
raphers *  sympathetically  remarked,  "  restored,  before 
the  final  extinction  of  the  lamp,  a  portion  of  the  bright- 
ness which  it  once  shed  around."     She  was  even  able 

*  Jewish  Chronicle,  Oct.  3d,  1862. 


168  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

to  take  some  carriage  exercise  with  seeming  benefit,  and 
on  the  very  day  that  she  was  attacked  by  the  sickness 
which  finally  consigned  her  to  the  grave,  arrangements 
had  been  made  to  take  her  to  the  International  Exhibi- 
tion. 

This  was  on  the  19th  September.  The  following 
Tuesday  prayers  for  her  recovery  were  offered  up  dur- 
ing morning  service  in  Bevis  Marks,  and  in  the  after- 
noon in  the  Great  Synagogue.  The  next  day  was  the 
Eve  of  the  New  Year,  and  again  reassuring  symptoms 
showed  themselves.  Hopes  for  the  prolongation  of  her 
life  were  entertained.  She  conversed  with  her  usual 
serenity  and  pious  resignation,  and  even  expressed  some 
anxiety  on  the  score  of  the  hosj^itable  reception  of  her 
visitors.  As  the  setting  sun  announced  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Jewish  Festival,  Sir  Moses  repaired  to  the 
room  adjoining  hers,  which  formed  a  kind  of  domestic 
oratory,  and  offered  up  in  her  hearing  the  prayers  pre- 
scribed for  the  solemn  occasion.  These  devotions  over, 
he  re-entered  her  room,  and,  laying  his  hands  on  her 
head,  pronounced  the  benediction,  which  he  had  never 
missed  for  fifty  years  on  Sabbaths  and  Festivals,  and 
then  bowed  his  head  to  receive  her  blessing  in  his  turn. 
E.e-inspired  with  hope,  he  descended  to  his  own  room, 
where  he  cheerfully  conversed  with  the  friends  and 
relatives  assembled  round  his  hospitable  board.  When, 
however,  the  physician  came  to  pay  his  evening  visit  he 
found  the  patient  so  weak  and  her  pulse  so  low  that  he 
deemed  it  necessary  to  inform  Sir  Moses  that  the  end 
was  near.  At  half-past  eleven  Lady  Montefiore  peace- 
fully breathed  her  last,  "  Her  death,"  said  the  sympa- 
thetic necrologer  from  whom  we  have  quoted,  "  was  like 
her  life — calm.     She  did  not  die — she  fell  asleep.     She 


Lady  Montefiore.  169 

expired  without  a  struggle,  as  onr  sages  say  of  Moses — 
by  a  kiss." 

"  Good  Lady  Montefiore,"  as  she  was  lovingly  called 
by  all  who  knew  her,  was  a  perfect  daughter  of  Israel. 
'•  The  woman  who  fearetli  the  Eternal,"  said  the  wisest 
of  kings,  "deserveth  to  be  praised;"  and  no  woman's 
life  was  ever  more  completely  or  more  happily  governed 
by  the  fear  of  God  than  that  of  Judith  Montefiore. 
Born  two  years  before  the  death  of  Moses  Mendelssohn, 
when  the  influence  of  the  great  "  Kegeuerator  of  Juda- 
ism" had  made  itself  felt  upon  Jewish  women,  to  the 
extent  of  raising  them  to  preside  over  some  of  the  most 
brilliant  of  the  continental  Salons,  Judith  Montefiore 
readily  assimilated  all  the  culture  of  that  restless  period. 
At  the  same  time  she  conserved  the  inherent  sympathy 
Avith  the  historic  aspirations  of  her  race  which  consti- 
tutes the  true  Jewess,  and  which  was  so  conspicuously 
absent  in  the  characters  of  the  brilliant  circle  of  Hebrew 
women — Dorothea  Mendelssohn,  Henriette  Herz.  Rachel 
Levin,  etc. — who  were  the  high-priestesses  of  German 
culture  in  her  youth.  Her  father,  Levy  Barent  Cohen, 
was  already  a  wealthy  London  merchant,  and  a  man  of 
consequence  in  his  Synagogue,  when  the  first  Monte- 
fiore and  D'Israeli  emigrated  to  England,  when  the  elder 
Rothschild  was  still  a  money-changer  in  the  Frank- 
fort Ghetto ;  and  the  London  money-market  was  ruled 
by  Sampson  Gideon,  the  ancestor  of  the  Eardley  family. 
Levy  Barent  Cohen  was  a  man  whose  mind  had  been 
widened  by  an  extensive  intercourse  with  men ;  but 
this,  instead  of  weakening  his  allegiance  to  his  faith, 
had  enlarged  his  conception  of  his  duty  to  it.  The 
spirit  that  reigned  in  his  home,  situated  in  the  heart  of 
the  Jewish  quarter  of  London,  was  a  happy  combination 
8 


170  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

of  the  religious  idealism  of  Judea,  and  the  cultivated 
spirit  of  the  age  of  Gibbon  and  Hume,  Walpole  and 
Burke.  No  pains  were  spared  to  place  his  children  on 
the  highest  mental  level  of  the  day,  and  the  highest 
moral  level  of  the  Jewish  Law.  Taught  by  the  best 
masters,  and  trained  by  the  loving  care  of  pious  parents, 
they  grew  up  to  be  accomplished  and  religious  men  and 
women.  One  of  the  daughters,  Hannah,  became  the 
first  Baroness  Rothschild ;  Judith  married  Moses  Monte- 
fiore on  June  10,  1812. 

The  young  couple  went  into  housekeeping  in  New 
Court,  St.  Swithin's  Lane,  close  to  the  home  of  their 
relatives,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  M.  Rothschild.  Here  they 
lived  happily  for  thirteen  years,  undisturbed  by  distract- 
ing ambitions,  and  prospering  steadily  year  by  year. 
The  wife  idolized  her  noble-minded  and  handsome  hus- 
band; he  reverenced  her  beautiful  womanly  nature. 
Her  prudence  and  intelligence  ruled  all  his  undertak- 
ings ;  and  he  has  never  ceased  to  ascribe  his  success  in 
life  to  the  wisdom  of  her  advice  and  her  sympathy  with 
his  labors.  When  he  retired  from  business  her  humani- 
tarian instincts  largely  directed  the  spending  of  the 
fortune  she  had  thus  helped  to  accumulate.  But  it  is 
impossible  to  write  a  separate  account  of  her  participa- 
tion in  her  husband's  life-work,  she  was  so  completely 
identified  with  it.  A  few  years  ago  an  admiring 
stranger  expressed  to  Sir  Moses  his  gratification  at  hav- 
ing been  j)ermitted  to  converse  with  the  man  "  whose 
glory  is  engraved  on  the  heart  of  every  Israelite."  "  I 
am  no  great  man,"  modestly  answered  the  j)hilanthro- 
•pist.  "  The  little  good  that  I  have  accomplished,  or 
rather  that  I  intended  to  accomplish,  I  am  indebted  for 
it  to  my  never-to-be-forgotten  wife,  whose  enthusiasm 


Lady  Montejiore.  171 

for  everytliing  that  is  noble. and  whose  religiousness 
sustained  me  in  my  career." 

Lady  Montefiore  accompanied  her  husband  in  all  his 
foreign  missions  up  to  1859,  and  was  the  beneficent 
genius  of  these  memorable  expeditions.  A  thousand 
little  incidents  illustrate  the  enthusiasm  with  which  slie 
seconded  her  husband's  labors.  When  in  the  Holy 
Land,  in  1838,  she  took  part  personally  in  the  ceremony 
of  receiving  a  new  Scroll  of  the  Law  in  the  Synagogue 
at  Safed ;  in  another  Synagogue  she  decorated  the  Scroll 
during  divine  service  ;  and  at  one  of  the  Jerusalem 
houses  of  worship  she  piously  lit  tlie  lamps  in  front  of 
the  altar,  and  before  the  whole  congregation.  In  the 
latter  city  she  promoted  the  formation  of  a  Ladies' 
Charity  for  the  relief  of  the  sick.  How  often  she 
officiated  as  godmother  in  the  course  of  this  tour  it  is 
difficult  to  say.  A  farewell  address,  presented  to  Sir 
Moses  by  the  Portuguese  and  German  congregations 
of  Jerusalem,  concludes  mth  a  reference  to  Lady 
Montefiore  which  indicates  how  thoroughly  she  had 
engaged  the  affections  of  the  people  of  the  Holy  City : 

"  Blessed  be  the  Eternal  Lord  of  Hosts,  who  failed 
not  to  send  a  Redeemer  to  his  land,  and  succor,  from 
the  Majesty  of  his  power,  to  the  offspring  of  his  right- 
eous servants.  On  the  head  of  his  people  he  has  placed 
a  helmet,  and  in  his  great .  mercy  has  appointed  his 
servant  Moses  to  exalt  the  light  of  his  resplendent 
might,  and  to  make  it  a  wonder  before  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  By  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty  did 
Moses  obtain  the  accomplished,  honored,  and  most  vir- 
tuous Lady  Y^hoodit  (Judith).  May  all  the  blessings 
of  ladies  in  their  tents  rest  upon  her !'' 

Dm-ing  the   journey  to  Russia  in  1816,  when  her 


172  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

health  was  already  breaking,  she  was  indefatigable  in 
her  efforts  to  alleviate  the  misery  she  saw  everywhere 
around  her.  A  Polish  Jew,  writing  from  Wilna  to 
Mr.  Councillor  Barnett,  of  Birmingham,  shortly  after 
Sir  Moses'  visit,  said  :  "  His  Lady  (long  may  her  life  be 
spared !)  had  not  a  dry  eye  for  weeping  over  the  extreme 
distress  she  here  beheld."  The  wife  and  daughters  of 
the  Russian  Governor  paid  her  a  ceremonious  visit,  and 
expressed  in  handsome  terms  the  admiration  she  had 
inspired  among  all  classes.  At  Berlin,  on  the  home- 
ward journey,  seventeen  young  maidens,  some  dressed 
in  white  and  others  in  blue,  presented  her  with  a  laurel 
crown  wreathed  with  white  roses,  on  an  embroidered 
velvet  cushion.  To  her  conduct  during  the  eventful 
mission  to  Mehemet  Ali  in  1840  her  husband  paid  a 
public  tribute  in  a  speech  he  delivered  on  his  return 
home.  "  To  Lady  Montefiore,"  he  said,  "  I  owe  a  debt 
of  gratitude  ;  her  counsels  and  zeal  for  our  religion  and 
love  to  our  brethren  were  at  all  times  conspicuous. 
They  animated  me  under  difficulties  and  consoled  me 
under  disappointments."  In  the  earlier  journeys  Sir 
Moses  had  frequent  occasion  to  marvel  at  her  quiet 
courage.  Lady  Montefiore  relates  in  her  diaries  that 
when  crossing  the  Alps  in  1827  he  admiringly  dubbed 
her  "a  little  Napoleon."  Also  during  the  severe 
weather  which  they  encountered  in  1838  between  Alex- 
andria and  Malta  her  fearlessness  was  so  conspicuous 
that  he  playfully  declared  she  was  "  a  little  Admiral." 

Lady  Montefiore's  diaries,  two  of  which  were  printed 
some  years  ago  for  private  circulation,  afford  a  sufficient 
insight  into  the  manifold  beauties  of  her  nature.  They 
are  charming  reading,  and  illustrate  every  side  of  a 
richly  varied  character.     The  first  is  a  record  of  the 


Lddy  Montefiwe.  173 

journey  to  the  East  in  1827.  It  seems  to  be  the  less 
studied  work  of  the  two,  and  is  full  of  delicious  little 
peep-holes  to  her  mind.  The  following  passage  written 
at  Naples  delightfully  illustrates  the  gayety  and  thorough 
womanliness  of  her  disposition  : 

"  We  landed  oj)posite  the  Hotel  delta  Victoria,  and 
having  been  welcomed  on  our  return  by  Mr.  Martigny, 
we  inquired  if  the  apartments  we  occupied  on  our  late 
visit  were  disengaged,  he  answered  that  they  were  occu- 
pied by  a  lady  and  gentleman.  '  Their  names  ? '  '  The 
Baroness  and  Baron  Anselme  de  Rothschild!'  In  an 
instant  we  were  together.  What  a  delightful  surprise. 
How  handsome  she  looks !  and  the  baby,  what  a  fine 
fat  boy  !  We  dined  with  them,  and  Baron  Charles  en- 
gaged us  to  go  to  the  opera.  It  was  a  grand  night,  in 
honor  of  the  Duke  of  Calabria's  natal  day :  and  all  the 
company  were  in  full  dress.  Returned  from  San  Carlo : 
a  brilliant  spectacle,  all  the  royal  family  were  present. 
The  ladies  in  diamonds  and  feathers  had  a  fine  effect  in 
this  handsome  theatre." 

After  a  stormy  day  on  the  road  Lady  Montefiore's 
spirit  of  domesticity  peeps  out  in  this  pretty  word-pic- 
ture : 

"Now  seated  by  a  comfortable  fire  with  an  affec- 
tionate companion,  the  table  nicely  prepared  for  tea, 
and  kettle  boiling,  the  rattling  of  the  windows  and 
boisterous  sounds  make  me  the  more  sensible  of  present 
enjoyments  and  the  storm  we  have  just  escaped.  Surely 
the  German  saying  is  true,  '  Getheilte  freitcV  ist  game 
freude  •  getheilter  schmerz  ist  halher  schmerz  ! '  " 

Lady  Montefiore  was  an  excellent  whist-player.  There 
is  a  touch  of  humor  in  the  following  reference  to  this 
jpenoham^t  of  hers : 


174  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Ifontefiore. 

"The  firmament  presented  a  more  than  nsuallj 
majestic  appearance:  the  golden  and  bright  tinted 
clouds,  Sicily  bordering  the  horizon  on  the  right,  on 
the  left  Malta,  and  Gozo  opposite.  A  chilly  atmos- 
phere, however,  made  me  hasten  to  quit  this  varied 
scene  for  the  more  domestic  and  comfortable  one  of  a 
game  at  cards,  though  I  confess  not  quite  so  sublime 
and  rational.  Dr.  Madden  joined  us  in  the  rub- 
ber." 

Her  observations  on  the  Holy  Land  are  conceived  in 
a  spirit  of  singular  loftiness.  Kaj'Serling,  in  his  "  Jiidis- 
chen  Frauen,"  compares  their  style  to  that  of  Schubert's 
"Reise  in  das  Morgenland."  Of  Jerusalem  she  thus 
wrote  in  1827 : 

"  There  is  no  city  in  the  world  which  can  bear  com- 
parison in  point  of  interest  with  Jerusalem, — fallen, 
desolate,  and  abject,  even  as  it  appears — changed  as  it 
has  been  since  the  days  of  its  glory.  The  capitals  of 
the  ancient  world  inspire  us,  at  the  sight  of  their  decay- 
ing monuments,  with  thoughts  that  lead  us  far  back  into 
the  history  of  our  race,  with  feelings  that  enlarge  the 
sphere  of  our  sympathies,  by  uniting  our  recollections 
of  the  past  with  the  substantial  forms  of  things  present ; 
but  there  is  a  power  in  the  human  mind  by  which  it  is 
capable  of  renewing  scenes  as  vividly  without  external 
aids,  as  when  they  are  most  abundant.  There  are  no 
marble  records  on  the  plain  of  Marathon,  to  aid  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  traveller,  but  he  feels  no  want  of  them  : 
and  thus  it  is,  whenever  any  strong  and  definite  feeling 
of  our  moral  nature  is  concerned,  we  need  but  be  pres- 
ent on  the  spot  where  great  events  occurred,  and  if  they 
were  intimately  connected  with  the  fate  of  multitudes, 
or  with  the  history  of  our  religion,  we  shall  experience  a 


Lady  Montefiore.  175 

sentiment  of  veneration  and  interest  amounting  to  awe, 
and  one  above  all  comparison  nobler  than  that  which  is 
excited  chiefly  by  the  pomp  or  wonders  of  antiquity. 
It  is  hence  that  Jerusalem,  notwithstanding  the  plough- 
share of  the  heathen,  infinitely  exceeds  in  interests 
Rome,  Athens,  and  even  the  cities  of  Egypt,  still 
abounding,  as  they  do,  in  monuments  of  their  former 
grandeur,  and  wonderful  and  venerable  as  they  are 
above  all  other  places  on  which  the  mere  temporal 
history  of  mankind  can  bestow  a  sanctity.  No  place  has 
ever  suffered  like  Jerusalem  : — it  is  more  than  probable 
that  not  a  single  relic  exists  of  the  city  that  was  the  joy 
of  the  whole  earth :  but  the  most  careful  and  enthusiastic 
of  travellers  confess,  that  when  they  have  endeavored  to 
find  particular  marks  for  their  footsteps,  there  was  little 
to  encourage  them  in  the  investigation.  But  it  depends 
not  for  its  power  of  inspiring  veneration  on  the  remains 
of  temples  and  palaces;  and  were  there  even  a  less 
chance  of  speculating  with  success  respecting  the  sites 
of  its  ancient  edifices,  it  would  still  be  the  city  towards 
which  every  religious  and  meditative  mind  would  turn 
with  the  deepest  longing.  It  is  with  Jerusalem  as  it 
would  be  with  the  home  of  our  youth,  were  it  levelled 
with  the  earth,  and  we  returned  after  many  years,  and 
found  the  spot  on  which  it  stood  a  ploughed  field,  or  a 
deserted  waste :  the  same  thoughts  would  arise  in  our 
hearts  as  if  the  building  were  still  before  us,  and  would 
probably  be  rendered  still  more  impressive  from  the 
very  circumstance  that  the  ruin  which  had  taken  place 
was  complete." 

In  reference  to  the  Pyramids,  Lady  Montefiore  has 
some  remarks  which  are  equally  notable : 

"  Time  has  been  longer  conquered  by  the  Pyramids 


1Y6  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

than  by  any  other  production  of  hiTman  art.  They 
lift  their  strange  forms  above  that  sea  of  ages  which 
holds  in  its  bosom  all  other  relics  of  that  hoar  antiquity 
to  which  they  belong :  they  were  old  in  days  which  are 
the  remotest  in  authentic  history ;  and  instead  of  their 
crumbling  down  to  the  earth,  like  other  monuments  of 
men's  labor,  it  appears  as  if  they  are  only  doomed  to 
disappear  when  the  earth  shall  have  gradually  accumu- 
lated its  own  dust  and  ashes  around  them.  They  truly 
merit  the  appellation  of  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the 
world;  and  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  contemplate  them 
without  experiencing  a  keen  desire  to  determine  the 
motives  of  those  who  built  them,  and  the  object  for 
which  they  were  erected." 

Lady  Moutefiore's  theory  on  this  subject  illustrates 
the  religious  side  of  her  character : 

"There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  religion  fur- 
nished both  the  motives  and  the  design  from  which  they 
sprang ;  and  the  most  rational  antiquaries  agree  in  con- 
sidering them  in  the  light  of  temples,  certain  portions  of 
which  were  appropriated  for  the  burial  of  the  dead. 
The  numerous  idols  still  to  be  found  in  them,  and  the 
splendid  mausoleums  of  their  chambers,  afford  the 
strongest  ^^roof  of  the  correctness  of  this  idea.  There 
is,  however,  a  general  principle  which  affords,  it  may 
be  observed  without  presumption,  a  still  more  powerful 
proof  of  their  sacred  origin.  Keligion  is  the  only 
motive  sufficiently  strong,  and  sufficiently  enduring,  to 
inspire  men  with  such  vast  designs ;  and  in  the  early 
ages  of  the  world  this  was  especially  the  case.  A  few 
great  principles  of  thought  governed  all  their  actions ; 
and  among  these,  as  it  must  ever  be  when  the  economy 
of  society  is  simple,  the  fear  or  the  love,  the  desire  to 


Lady  Montejiore.  1Y7 

propitiate,  or  the   hope   of  pleasing,  the   Deity,  will 
always  be  found  predominant  over  the  rest." 

On  the  way  home  Dr.  Madden  was  among  the  fellow- 
travellers  of  the  Montefiores,  and  contributed  not  a 
little  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  voyage.  He  composed  a 
song  on  the  storm,  and  wrote  a  poem  on  the  IN^ew  Tear, 
to  which  Lady  Montefiore  added  a  verse.  Dr.  Madden's 
poem  ran  thus : 

"  It  is  a  wayward,  strange  delight, 

That  mankind  feel  to  part  with  time — 
To  fix  upon  tlie  old  year's  flight 
For  festive  joys  in  every  clime. 

"  To  me  this  season's  not  of  joy, 

But  sadness  more,  for  it  doth  seem, 
In  its  brief  passage,  to  destroy 
Another  trace  of  life's  short  dream. 

"The  old  year  passes,  and  the  flow 
Of  youthful  feeling  sinks  apace, 
The  new  advances,  and  the  glow 
Of  early  ardor  yields  its  place. 

"  Each  year  the  hand  of  age  falls  cold 
And  colder  on  the  heart ;  and  all 
Our  fondest  hopes,  as  we  grow  old. 
Flit  by,  like  phantoms  past  recall." 

The  verse  added  by  Lady  Montefiore  was  character- 
istic : 

"  But  is  there  not  one  cheering  hope  yet  left? 
That  which  should  animate  succeeding  years? 
For  if  of  transient  joys  we  are  bereft, 
Our  trust  in  heaven  will  chase  away  our  tears." 

The  second  diary  is  a  record  of  the  journey  of  1838. 
That  expedition,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  a  distinctly 
8* 


178  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Jewish  and  humanitarian  aim,  and  Lady  Montefiore's 
journal  fully  reflects  its  quasi-^uhVic  character.  It  is 
less  of  a  personal  diary,  and  more  of  a  serious  narrative 
of  travel  than  the  former  work.  Full  of  important 
memoranda  on  Jewish  questions,  it  forms  a  really  use- 
ful book  of  reference  on  the  condition  of  the  Conti- 
nental and  Eastern  Jewish  communities  forty-five  years 
ago.  The  facts  mentioned  by  Lady  Montefiore  have 
already  been  summarized  in  a  preceding  chapter.  There 
remain,  however,  several  interesting  passages  that  may 
be  quoted  here. 

On  the  way  to  Ghent  the  diarist  amused  herself  with 
reading  Bulwer's  last  new  novel,  "  Leila,  or  the  Siege  of 
Granada,"  a  work  in  which  there  is  a  strong  Jewish 
element.  These  are  Lady  Montefiore's  shrewd  reflec- 
tions on  the  book  : 

"  I  admire  Mr.  Bulwer's  delineations,  but  not  his 
sentiments,  which  give  a  coloring  to  the  character  of 
a  people  tending  to  support  prejudices,  so  galling  to  the 
feelings  of  those  who  are  as  sensible  to  honor,  gener- 
osity, and  virtue,  as  those  of  more  prosperous  nations. 
It  may  be  policy  to  exaggerate  faults,  but  is  it  justice 
to  create  them  solely  to  gratify  opponents  ?  It  is  too 
much  the  practice  of  authors  engaged  in  the  production 
of  light  literature,  to  utter  sentiments  existing  only  in 
their  own  imaginations,  and,  by  ascribing  them  to  others, 
to  disseminate  a  baneful  prejudice  against  multitudes 
who  feel  indignant  at  finding  themselves  the  subjects  of 
unjust  suspicion." 

The  condition  of  the  Jews  at  Nice  evokes  the  follow- 
ing sympathetic  remarks : 

"  In  the  course  of  conversation  we  learned  that  this 
country  was  greatly  wanting  in  liberality,  and  that  the 


Lady  Montefiore.  179 

members  of  our  community  are  subject  to  much  oppres- 
sion, and  many  disadvantages.  How  long  will  the 
powerful  oppress  the  weak,  and  endeavor  to  stifle  the 
energies  of  their  fellow-beings?  One  consolation  re- 
mains under  such  a  state  of  things.  Conscientious  feel- 
ings, well  maintained  under  oppression,  ever  excite  the 
sympathy  and  admiration  of  independent  and  virtuous 
minds.'' 

At  Rome,  where  the  orthodox  Jewess  was  delighted 
to  find  that  divine  service  was  conducted  "  without  the 
introduction  of  modern  airs  in  the  chanting,"  she  was 
a  witness,  among  other  sights,  of  the  ceremony  of  the 
Pope's  benediction  of  the  people.  On  the  inconsisten- 
cies of  this  ceremony  she  reflects  very  pointedly : 

"  His  Holiness  washed  the  feet  of  twelve  pilgrims,  each 
of  whom  received  a  new  suit  of  clothes  and  a  medal. 
His  Holiness  then  waited  on  them  at  dinnei',  assisted 
by  several  cardinals,  who  knelt  to  the  Pope  when  hand- 
ing him  the  dishes  to  serve  to  the  poor  men.  These 
acts  of  humiliation  may  be  well  intended,  and  doubt- 
less have  some  good  tendency,  teaching  the  individual, 
however  exalted  in  rank,  the  virtue  of  a  humble  spirit, 
and  that  religion  surpasses  every  other  distinction  ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  accompanying  pomp  and  display 
may  be  regarded  as  somewhat  lessening  the  merit  of  the 
action.  The  table  was  decorated  with  all  the  magnifi- 
cence of  regal  state ;  and  the  pilgrims,  after  regaling 
themselves  with  every  luxury,  were  permitted  to  take 
away  the  remains  of  everything  that  was  served  to 
them." 

The  arrival  in  Egypt  is  sketched  with  great  anima- 
tion : 

"  It  was  at  an  earlv  hour  that  I  heard  the  call  to  make 


180  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

ready  the  anchor — a  most  satisfactory  sound.  At  seven 
o'clock  we  dressed  and  went  on  deck  to  have  a  sight  of 
Pompey's  Pillar  and  Cleopatra's  Needle,  objects  bright 
and  familiar  to  our  memory.  The  pilot  now  came  on 
board,  and  we  were  soon  surrounded  b}^  Turkish  boats, 
turbans,  and  divers-colored  costumes.  The  quarantine 
boat  then  approached,  and  our  bill  of  health  was  de- 
manded.    Captain  G ,  on  handing  it  out,  said  that 

it  might  be  taken  with  the  hand  ;  but  no !  a  long  pair 
of  scissors,  more  resembling  a  pair  of  tongs,  were 
stretched  forth,  and  by  these  the  document  was  held 
till  perused  by  the  janizary.  When  it  had  been  ascer- 
tained that  all  were  healthy,  this  singular  instrument 
was  laid  down,  and  the  paper  taken  by  the  hand.  A 
corpulent  Turk,  the  British  Consul's  head  dragoman, 
came  on  board,  and  the  letter-bags  were  handed  out ; 
while,  amidst  the  vociferations  and  unintelligible  jargon 
of  the  Arabs,  numerous  boats  surrounded  the  ship,  the 
anxious  masters  of  which,  pleading  for  themselves,  or 
the  hotels  for  M'hich  they  were  emj)loyed,  could  only 
be  kept  off  so  as  to  afford  a  free  passage  from  the  vessel 
by  a  copious  sprinkling  of  water." 

Lady  Montefiore  is  particularly  happy  in  her  descrip- 
tion of  Scriptural  scenes.  On  reaching  Beyrout  she 
writes : 

"  At  an  early  hour  the  land  of  Syria  was  in  view,  and 
at  seven  o'clock  the  anchor  was  cast  in  the  Bay  of  Bey- 
rout. We  were  soon  on  deck,  and  magnificent  was  the 
scene  presented  to  our  view.  Immediately  before  us 
rose  the  lofty  mountains  of  Lebanon,  precipitous,  and 
crowned  with  snow,  in  strange  contrast  with  the  yellow 
barren  shore,  and  in  stranger  still  the  glowing  sky,  and 
the  dazzling  rays  of  the  sun,  which  threw  theii*  efful- 


Lady  Montefiore.  181 

gence  far  and  wide  over  every  object  that  the  eye  could 
reach,  wrapping  the  town  of  Sidon  itself  in  a  blaze  of 
morning  splendor." 

A  still  more  picturesque  passage  is  written  after  leav- 
ing Safed : 

"  At  a  short  distance  forward,  the  beautiful  lake  of 
Tiberias,  part  of  which  some  of  our  suite  called  Beer 
Miriam,  presented  itself  to  view.  A  delicious  valley 
then  appeared  to  our  right,  extending  to  the  famous 
village  Akbara,  mentioned  in  the  Talmud.  After  a 
continued  ascent  for  some  distance,  we  began  to  descend, 
and  noticed  to  our  left  the  rock  called  Akebi,  in  which 
are  extensive  caves,  where  the  inhabitants  took  refuge 
during  a  former  attack  on  Safed  by  the  Druses,  The 
rock  is  also  famous  for  its  number  of  bees ;  and  when 
we  witnessed  the  honey  exuding  from  it,  and  filling  the 
air  with  its  fragrance,  how  forcibly  did  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist  recur  to  our  minds,  '  And  -svith  honey  out  of 
the  rock  would  I  have  satisfied  thee.'  We  then  passed 
the  cross-roads,  of  which  the  right  leads  to  Acre,  the 
left  to  Damascus  ;  and  soon  after,  several  villages  and 
valleys,  filled  with  luxuriant  corn,  interspersed  with  fig, 
olive,  mulberry,  and  pomegranate  trees,  covered  ^^^th 
bright  blossoms,  delighted  the  sight.  On  the  road  lay 
some  pieces  of  stone,  which  our  mukkarries  amused 
themselves  with  striking ;  the  sound  returned  was  like 
that  of  a  fine  bell,  verifying  the  saying  of  Scripture — 
'  A  land  whose  stones  are  iron,  and  out  of  whose  hills 
thou  mayest  dig  brass.'  " 

Again  on  reaching  Gilead : 

"  Having  seated  ourselves  in  a  small  cavern,  formed 
in  the  rocks  of  Mount  Djalood,  the  ancient  Gilead, 
how  many  solemn  though  pleasurable  thoughts  floated 


182  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

through  our  minds !  '  Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead  ?  Is 
there  no  physician  there  ?  Why  then  is  not  the  health 
of  the  daughter  of  my  people  recovered? '  (Jer.  viii.  22.) 
So  sighed  the  prophet  in  times  when  the  sorrows  of 
Israel  were  as  yet  but  beginning.  Oh,  how  does  the 
heart  of  the  pilgrim  cling  to  and  yearn  over  the  later 
words  of  the  same  prophet,  '  I  will  bring  Israel  again  to 
his  habitation,  and  he  shall  feed  on  Carmel  and  Bashan, 
and  his  soul  shall  be  satisfied  upon  Mount  Ephraim  and 
Gilead.  In  those  days,  and  in  that  time,  saith  the  Lord, 
the  iniquity  of  Israel  shall  be  sought  for,  and  there 
shall  be  none ;  and  the  sins  of  Judah,  and  they  shall  not 
be  found ;  for  I  will  pardon  them  whom  I  reserve.' " 

Approaching  Jerusalem  the  narrative  becomes  very 
striking : 

"  What  the  feelings  of  a  traveller  are,  when  among 
the  mountains  on  which  the  awful  power  of  the 
Almighty  once  visibly  rested,  and  when  approaching 
the  city  where  he  placed  his  name  ;  whence  his  law  was 
to  go  forth  to  all  the  world ;  where  the  beauty  of  holi- 
ness shone  in  its  morning  splendor ;  and  to  which,  even 
in  its  sorrow  and  captivity,  even  in  its  desolation,  the 
very  Gentiles,  the  people  of  all  nations  of  the  earth,  as 
well  as  its  own  children,  look  with  profound  awe  and 
admiration. — Oh  !  what  the  feeUngs  of  the  traveller  are 
on  such  a  spot,  and  when  listening  to  the  enraptured 
tones  of  Israel's  own  inspired  king,  none  can  imagine 
but  those  who  have  had  the  privilege  and  the  felicity  to 
experience  them.  As  we  drew  nearer  to  Jerusalem  the 
aspect  of  the  surrounding  country  became  more  and 
more  sterile  and  gloomy.  The  land  was  covered  with 
thorns  and  briers,  and  sadly  did  the  words  of  the  Psalm- 
ist rise  to  the  thoughts — '  He  turneth  rivers  into  a  wil- 


Lady  Montefiore.  183 

derness,  and  the  water-springs  into  dry  ground ;  a  fruit- 
ful land  into  barrenness,  for  the  wickedness  of  them 
that  dwell  therein  ! '  (Ps.  cvii.  33,  34.)  But  solemn  as 
were  the  feelings  excited  by  the  melancholy  desolate- 
ness  of  the  rocky  hills  and  valleys  through  which  we 
were  passing,  they  were  suddenly  lost  in  a  sense  of  rap- 
ture and  indescribable  joy — for  now  the  Holy  City  itself 
rose  full  into  Wew,  J^ith  all  its  cupolas  and  minarets  re- 
flecting the  splendor  of  the  heavens.  Dismounting 
from  our  horses,  we  sat  down  and  poured  forth  the 
sentiments  which  so  strongly  animated  our  hearts  in  de- 
vout praises  to  Him  whose  mercy  and  providence  alone 
had  thus  brought  us,  in  health  and  safety,  to  the  city 
of  our  fathers.  Pursuing  our  path,  we  soon  passed  the 
tomb  of  N^abi  Shemuel  (the  Prophet  Samuel),  and  at 
about  five  o'clock  reached  the  gates  of  the  Holy  City. 
Khassan  having  dismounted,  his  mule  instantly  ran  off, 
and  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  his  master,  of  Ibra- 
him, Armstrong,  and  Bekhor,  kept  them  in  chase  till  he 
stopped  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  There  Dr.  Loewe 
proposed  we  should  encamp;  but  Montefiore,  being 
greatly  fatigued,  considered  that  it  would  be  better  to 
select  a  less  elevated  situation.  Wq  accordingly  pro- 
ceeded to  the  valley  fixed  on  by  the  mukkarries ;  but 
soon  discovered  that  we  had  committed  a  serious  error 
in  choosing  a  spot  whence  the  air  was  excluded,  and 
which  the  contagious  atmosphere  of  the  town  was  so 
much  more  likely  to  infect ;  we,  therefore,  ascended  a 
steep  path,  cut  out  of  the  mountain,  almost  like  a  flight 
of  stairs,  but  which  our  horses  scaled  with  their  custom- 
ary ease  and  safety.  The  pure  air  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives  breathed  around  us  with  the  most  refreshing 
fragrance  ;  and  as  we  directed  our  attention  to  the  sur- 


184r  The  Life  of  Sir  Hoses  Montefore. 

rounding  view,  Jerusalem  was  seen  in  its  entire  extent 
at  our  feet,  the  Yalley  of  JeliosliapLat  to  our  left,  and 
in  the  distance  the  dark  misty  waves  of  the  Dead  Sea." 

Before  leaving  the  Holy  Land  the  travellers  visited 
the  tomb  of  King  David  and  the  remnant  of  Solomon's 
Temple.  Both  subjects  Lady  Montefiore  treats  with 
sympathetic  dignity.     The  first  she  thus  describes: 

"  Having  entered  a  spacious  vaulted  chamber,  painted 
in  Turkish  fashion,  we  saw  at  the  further  end  a  trellised 
door,  and  being  led  to  the  spot,  we  beheld  through  the 
lattice  the  sacred  and  royal  deposit  of  the  best  and 
noblest  of  kings.  Yes !  there  we  contemplated  the  rest- 
ing-place of  all  that  was  mortal  of  him  whom  the  elect- 
ing wisdom  of  the  Almighty  had  placed  on  the  throne 
of  a  kingdom,  which  had,  at  first,  but  the  Lord  himself 
for  its  king :  of  him  who,  resplendent  as  he  was  in 
royal  dignity,  was  still  more  glorious  for  those  gifts  of 
wisdom,  of  hoHness,  and  heavenly  genius,  in  the  sub- 
lime power  of  which  he  moulded  the  thoughts  of  count- 
less generations  to  forms -of  celestial  beauty,  and  still 
furnishes  worshijDpers  of  every  clime  and  nation  with 
the  purest  and  noblest  language  of  devotion.  In  the 
records  of  his  experience,  whether  tried  by  affliction  and 
humbled  by  the  weight  of  conscious  sin,  or  filled  with 
the  gladdening  feelings  of  hope,  the  heart  never  fails  to 
read  revelations  of  its  deepest  secrets,  to  discover  more 
of  its  state  and  nature,  and  to  learn  better  how  to  adore 
the  eternal  Spirit,  who  s]3oke  by  the  mouth  of  this 
kingly  prophet." 

The  reference  to  the  remnant  of  the  Temple  con- 
cludes with  a  beautiful  asj)iration : 

"We  yesterday  went  to  insjDect  the  western  wall  of 
the  Temple  of  Solomon.   How  wonderful  that  it  should 


Lady  Montefiore.  185 

have  so  long  defied  the  ravages  of  time!  The  huge 
stones  seemed  to  cling  together ;  to  be  cemented  by  a 
power  mightier  than  decay,  that  they  may  be  a  memo- 
rial of  Israel's  past  glory  ;  and,  oh  !  may  they  not  be  re- 
garded as  a  sign  of  future  greatness,  when  Israel  shall 
be  redeemed,  and  the  whole  world  shall,  with  one  accord, 
sing  praises  to  Israel's  God !" 

Many  more  extracts  might  be  made  from  these  charm- 
ing volumes,  but  we  have  quoted  enough  to  justify  the 
highest  estimate  of  Judith  Montefiore's  character.  The 
experience  of  those  who  knew  her  is  that  her  soul 
walked  out  in  these  pages. 

With  her  literary  powers  she  united  other  attainments 
of  a  high  order.  She  spoke  French,  German,  and 
Italian  with  ease,  and  much  of  her  leisure  during 
the  voyage  of  1838  she  devoted  to  the  study  of  Arabic 
under  Dr.  Loewe,  with  whom  she  likewise  read  Hebrew 
Literature.  She  was  also  an  accomplished  musician, 
playing  the  piano  and  guitar,  and  singing  sweetly.  It 
was  her  delight  to  join  with  her  melodious  voice  in  the 
hymns  which  on  Sabbaths  and  festivals  resounded  in 
her  house.  Her  home  life  was  a  pattern.  "  Possessed 
of  a  refined  mind,"  said  the  Chief  Rabbi  in  his  discourse 
over  her  grave,  "  of  the  most  cultivated  taste,  she  still, 
in  a  quiet  unassuming  way,  devoutly  fulfilled  the  duties 
of  a  Jewish  wife.  To  mention  only  one  of  these,  never, 
not  even  during  severe  iEness,  did  she  neglect  to  light 
the  Sabbath  lamp — she  who  herself  was  the  light  of  her 
home."  Her  generosity  knew  no  bounds  ;  no  one  ever 
sought  help  of  her  and  was  denied.  Her  husband  stiU 
tells  a  story  illustrative  of  her  large-hearted  benevolence. 
Among  those  who  had  frequently  received  money  from 
him  was  a  co-religionist  of  the  most  undeserving  kind. 


186  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Again  and  again  had  Sir  Moses  sent  him  checks,  and 
again  and  again  had  the  irrepressible  beggar  applied  for 
assistance.  Sir  Moses,  having  discovered  that  his  money 
was  sj)ent  in  gambling,  informed  his  wife  that  he  should 
give  the  ne'er-do-well  no  more  help ;  whereupon  Lady 
Montefiore  opened  her  own  check-book,  and  wrote  a 
check,  remarking,  "My  dear,  I  think  we  had  better 
send  him  something  ;  I  am  sure  nobody  else  will,  if  we 
do  not."  In  communal  affairs  she  was  by  no  means  in- 
active. At  school  prize-distributions  she  was  a  familiar 
figure,  and  she  worked,  together  with  her  sister  the 
Baroness  de  Rothschild  and  her  niece.  Baroness  Lionel 
de  Rothschild,  in  the  organization  and  administration  of 
many  philanthropic  enterprises.  At  the  Jews'  Free 
School  and  the  schools  of  the  Sephardic  community 
she  was  a  frequent  visitor.  The  Jewish  Ladies'  Loan 
and  Visiting  Society  was  started  partly  under  her 
auspices. 

On  the  Fast  of  Guedaliah — three  days  after  her 
death — the  remains  of  this  pious  daughter  of  Israel  were 
laid  to  their  eternal  rest,  close  by  the  Synagogue  which 
she  and  her  husband  had  founded  and  endowed  thirty- 
two  years  before,  near  their  Ramsgate  home.  A  large 
gathering  of  Christians  and  Jews  testified  in  sympa- 
thetic silence  to  the  affection  in  which  she  was  held. 
The  day  being  Sunday,  the  shops  in  the  adjoining 
town  were  closed  as  a  matter  of  course  ;  but  in  all  the 
churches  the  ministers  feelingly  alluded  to  the  sad 
event,  while  the  vessels  in  the  harbor  had  their  flags 
at  half-mast. 

The  sorrowing  husband  gave  large  sums  in  her  name 
to  every  Synagogue  in  the  United  Kingdom,  and  to  the 
inmates  of  the  Jewish  orphan  asylums.     He  built  to  her 


Lady  Montejiore.  187 

memory  a  college  at  Eamsgate  where  aged  Habbis 
study  and  expound  the  Law,  and  he  also  founded  prizes 
and  scholarships  for  girls  and  boys  at  the  several  Jewish 
public  schools.  The  Jewish  community  perpetuated 
her  name  by  establishing  the  Judith  Lady  Montefiore 
Convalescent  Home  at  South  I^orwood.  At  East  Chff 
Lodge  her  memory  is  still  fondly  cherished.  ]^one  of 
the  old-fashioned  furniture  has  been  altered  since  she 
superintended  the  household,  and  the  same  damask  cur- 
tains hang  at  the  windows  and  surround  the  beds.  Por- 
traits of  her  hang  in  many  of  the  rooms,  and  every 
scrap  of  Hnen  used  in  the  house  is  marked  with  a  He- 
brew in  Tnemorimn  inscription.  Even  her  custom  of 
feeding  the  wild  birds  and  encouraging  them  to  frequent 
the  dense  shrubberies  round  the  lodge  is  still  maintained 
with  scrupulous  exactitude.  In  fact  it  may  be  said  that 
all  the  wishes  she  expressed  while  living  are  faithfully 
observed  now  she  is  dead. 

On  the  road  between  Bethlehem  and  Jerusalem  is  a 
small  white-domed  structure  which  the  guides  point 
out  as  the  tomb  of  Eachel.  The  pilgrim  who  enters 
the  building  may  yet  read  on  the  walls  the  inscription 
"  Judith  Montefiore,"  traced  there  fifty-seven  years 
ago  by  a  hand  now  twenty-two  years  stilled  in  death. 
On  the  landward  side  of  the  ridge  of  a  high  cliff  in  the 
county  of  Kent,  embowered  in  the  evergreen  foliage  of 
cypress  and  arbor  vitse,  and  within  sound  of  the 
restless  waves  of  the  JSTorth  Sea,  is  a  fac-simile  of  this 
historic  tomb.  It  covers  the  earthly  remains  of  Judith 
Montefiore. 


188  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore, 


CHAPTER  XY. 

THE   JOURNEY   TO   MOROCCO. 

Trip  to  Constantinople  to  Obtain  a  Confirmation  of  Firmans  from 
the  new  Sultan. — Return  to  England,  and  Retirement  at  Rams- 
gate. — Appeal  from  Gibraltar  on  Behalf  of  Moorish  Jews. — Arrest 
and  Torture  of  Twelve  Jews  at  Saffi  at  the  Instance  of  the  Span- 
ish Consul. — Execution  of  Two  of  the  Prisoners. — Sir  Moses  Hur- 
ries to  Loudon  and  Prevails  upon  the  Foreign  Secretary  to  Tele- 
graph to  Morocco  requesting  a  Stay  of  Proceedings. — Correspon- 
deuce  with  Morocco  Discloses  a  Sad  State  of  Affairs  among  the 
Local  Jews. — Sir  Moses  resolves  to  Proceed  to  Morocco. — The 
Journey  to  Madrid. — Interview  with  Queen  Isabella. — Friendliness 
of  the  Spanish  Government. — Arrival  at  Tangier. — Release  of  the 
Prisoners. — The  Journey  into  the  Interior. — Arrival  at  Morocco 
City. — Imposing  Reception  by  the  Sultan. — Promulgation  of  an 
Edict  Protecting  Jews  and  Christians. — Second  Interview  with 
the  Sultan. — The  Return  Home. — Audiences  with  Queen  Isabella 
and  Napoleon  III. — Reception  in  England. — Parliamentary  Tri- 
bute to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. — Freedom  of  the  City  of  London, 

The  bereaved  husband  spent  the  winter  of  1862-63 
in  seclusion  at  Kiee.  He  was  meditating  another  pil- 
grimage to  the  Holy  Land,  when  letters  reached  him 
expressing  fears  lest  the  death  of  the  Sultan  Abdul- 
Medjid  might  change  the  benevolent  attitude  of  the 
Turkish  Government  towards  its  Jewish  subjects.  This 
rendered  an  alteration  in  his  plans  necessary,  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Constantinople  instead  of  Jerusalem.  The  new 
Sultan,  Abdul-Aziz,  received  him  graciously  in  audience, 
and  confirmed  the  Firmans  granted  by  his  late  brother. 


The  Journey  to  Morocco.  189 

His  Majesty  spontaneously  assured  his  visitor  that  his 
Jewish  subjects  should  have  his  full  protection,  the 
same  as  all  other  religious  denominations  in  his  realm. 
Sir  Moses  had  also  several  interviews  with  the  Grand 
Vizier,  who  gave  him  an  official  letter  to  the  Pasha  of 
Jerusalem,  acquainting  him  with  the  Sultan's  confirma- 
tion of  the  Firmans.  Eeturning  to  England  towards 
the  end  of  June,  the  venerable  baronet  retired  to  his 
seat  near  Ramsgate,  where  he  passed  his  time  superin- 
tending the  important  works  he  had  planned  in  memory 
of  his  beloved  consort.  The  events  of  the  latter  part  of 
the  year,  however,  called  him  from  his  sorrowing  retire- 
ment. 

Among  the  letters  received  at  East  CliflP  Lodge  on 
the  last  day  of  October,  1863 — ten  days  after  Sir  Moses' 
eightieth  birthday — was  a  bulky  packet  bearing  the  seal 
of  the  Gibraltar  Jewish  congregation.  The  day  being 
Sabbath,  it  was  not  opened  till  sundown.  Its  contents 
were,  however,  of  pressing  importance.  At  Saffi,  a  sea- 
port on  the  west  coast  of  Morocco,  a  Spaniard  had  died 
suddenly,  and  suspicions  of  foul  play,  probably  poison- 
ing, had  been  aroused  in  the  mind  of  the  Spanish  Con- 
sul. In  his  official  capacity  he  called  upon  the  Moorish 
authorities  to  investigate  the  case,  and  they,  in  great 
trepidation,  cast  about  for  a  convenient  scapegoat.  The 
procedure  was  singular.  No  steps  were  taken  to  ascer- 
tain whether  there  were  any  facts  to  establish  the  cause 
of  death,  or  to  show  that  it  had  a  connection  with  crime ; 
but  the  most  convenient  person  was  forthwith  arrested 
and  examined  under  the  scourge  and  other  kinds  of 
torture.  Israelites  being  the  least  protected  of  the  popu- 
lation, the  culprit  was  sought  among  their  body,  and  it 
being  discovered    that  a   Jewish   lad,  about  fourteen 


190  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejiore. 

years  of  age,  Jacob  "Wizeman  by  name,  had  resided  in 
the  family  of  the  deceased,  he  was  seized  and  "exam- 
ined." There  is  httle  variation  in  the  methods  of 
human  brutality ;  and  from  this  point  the  story  re- 
counted by  the  chiefs  of  the  Gibraltar  Jewish  congre- 
gation bore  a  close  resemblance  to  many  other  narra- 
tives of  Eastern  persecution  which  had  in  previous 
years  engaged  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  sympathies. 
After  persisting  for  a  long  time  in  the  assertion  of  his 
innocence,  Wizeman  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  pro- 
tracted agony,  and  acquiesced  in  the  suggestion  that 
poison  had  been  used.  Further  instalments  of  torture 
induced  him  to  denounce,  one  by  one,  eleven  persons 
whose  names  were  mentioned  to  him.  These  were 
arrested,  and  one,  Elialiu  Lalouehe,  was  also  subjected 
to  examination  by  torture,  but  without  wringing  any 
confession  from  him.  The  lad,  when  released,  reasserted 
his  innocence;  this,  however,  did  not  save  him.  His 
confession  being  on  record,  be  was  condemned  to  death 
by  the  Moorish  authorities  and  publicly  executed,  the 
Spanish  Consul  acquiescing  in  the  sentence,  notwith- 
standing the  irregular  manner  in  which  the  conviction 
had  been  obtained.  Of  the  other  prisoners  eight  were 
thrown  into  prison,  and  three  sent  to  Tangier,  where 
one  of  them,  Eliahu  Lalouehe,  was  executed.  These 
events  had  produced  the  greatest  dismay  among  the 
Jewish  population,  and  from  Tangier  urgent  appeals  for 
help  had  been  despatched  to  Gibraltar,  whence  they 
were  forwarded  to  England. 

This  shocking  story  aroused  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's 
active  benevolence  to  a  high  pitch.  Early  the  next 
morning  he  was  on  his  way  to  London,  and  by  noon  was 
hunting  up  the  Secretary  and  Under  Secretary  of  State 


The  Journey  to  Morocco.  191 

for  Foreign  Affairs.  Earl  Kussell  was  out  of  town, 
but,  though  it  was  Sunday,  Sir  Moses  succeeded  in 
gaining  an  interview  with  the  Under  Secretary,  Mr., 
afterwards  Sir  Austin  H.  Layard.  Telegraphic  com- 
munication was  resorted  to,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the 
continental  wires  were  at  work,  conveying  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Foreign  Office  to  Sir  John  Di-ummond 
Hay,  the  British  Ambassador  at  Tangier,  to  use  all  the 
influence  of  his  position  to  obtain  at  least  a  temporary 
suspension  of  further  executions.  Such  was  the  cordial 
alacrity  with  which  the  British  Government  gave  its 
important  assistance,  that  this  despatch  anticipated  a 
telegram  previously  sent  by  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  by 
some  hours. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  week,  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  laid  the  facts  that  had  come  to  his  knowl- 
edge before  the  Board  of  Deputies,  and  an  active 
correspondence  was  set  on  foot  with  Gibraltar  and 
Tangier.  It  was  ascertained  that  both  the  Moorish 
and  Spanish  authorities  were  averse  to  the  release  of 
the  prisoners,  although  their  innocence  seemed  to  be 
completely  established.  Beyond  this,  the  correspond- 
ence revealed  an  extremely  sad  state  of  affairs  among 
the  Jews  of  Morocco,  and  a  terrible  condition  of  lawless- 
ness in  the  whole  country.  Sir  Moses  rightly  judged 
that  something  more  was  necessary  to  assure  the  well- 
being  of  the  Jews  than  the  mere  rescue  of  the  prisoners 
of  the  moment.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  out- 
rages such  as  had  been  enacted  at  Saffi  were  inevitable 
in  a  country  where  the  Jews  were  unprotected  by  law. 
He  consequently  intimated  to  the  Board  of  Deputies 
his  readiness,  notwithstanding  his  advanced  years,  to 
proceed  to  Morocco,  and  to  endeavor  to  obtain  at  the 


192  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

hands  of  the  Sultan  a  definite  legal  status  for  his  co- 
religionists. Needless  to  say,  the  offer  was  gratefully 
accepted. 

Preparations  for  the  new  expedition  were  rapidly 
made,  and  on  the  15th  November  the  veteran  champion 
of  Israel  was  ready  to  leave  England.  His  suite  con- 
sisted of  his  nephew,  Mr.  H.  Guedalla,  whose  father 
was  a  native  of  Morocco  and  extensively  known  as  a 
merchant  in  the  country,  Mr.  Sampson  Samuel,  the 
solicitor  and  secretary  to  the  Board  of  Deputies,  and 
Dr.  Hodgkin,  his  physician  and  attached  friend,  whose 
feelings  were  warmly  engaged  in  the  undertaking.  Be- 
sides these  gentlemen  he  was  accompanied  by  an  ex- 
perienced courier  and  two  trusty  servants.  On  the  Sab- 
bath preceding  the  dejjarture  of  the  mission  Sir  Moses 
visited  the  principal  London  Synagogues,  where  special 
prayers  to  "crown  his  efforts  with  success,"  and  to 
"cause  him  to  return  in  safety  to  his  beloved  home," 
were  offered  up  by  order  of  the  Chief  Rabbi.  Two 
days  later  the  party  assembled  at  Dover,  and  the  vener- 
able baronet  having  piously  deposited  a  new  scroll  of 
the  Law  in  the  local  Synagogue,  they  crossed  over  to 
Calais  in  the  steamer.  Tuesday  evening  they  spent  at 
Paris,  and  the  following  morning  before  daybreak  were 
again  en  route.  At  Bordeaux  Sir  Moses  inspected  the 
works  of  the  Imperial  Continental  Gas  Association,  of 
which  he  is  still  President,  and  then  j)roceeded  to  Bay- 
onne,  where  he  halted  for  the  Sabbath.  The  next  day 
the  party  pursued  their  journey,  partlj'  by  rail  and  partly 
by  diligence,  across  the  Pyrenees  to  St.  Sebastian, 
whence  they  journeyed  via  Burgos  to  Madrid. 

Here  Sir  Moses  placed  himself  at  once  in  communi- 
cation with  Sir  J.  F.  Crampton,  the  British  Ambassador 


The  Journey  to  Morocco.  193 

to  the  Court  of  Spain,  to  whom  be  carried  letters  of 
iutroduction  frora  the  Home  Government.  The  Minis- 
ter received  him  cordially,  and  frequent  interviews  took 
place  between  them,  both  at  the  British  Embassy  and 
the  Hotel  de  los  Principes,  where  Sir  Moses  had  taken 
up  his  abode.  Visits  were  also  paid  to  and  received 
from  the  Marquis  of  Miraflores,  the  Prime  Minister,  the 
Duke  of  Tetuan,  General  Prim,  and  other  persons  of 
distinction  to  whom  he  was  introduced  both  by  the 
British  Ambassador  and  his  friend  and  relative,  M.  Weis- 
weiller,  who  had  long  resided  in  Madrid,  and  whose  high 
position  as  a  banker  and  the  Consul  of  more  than  one 
foreign  power  rendered  him  highly  influential  even  with 
the  Court.  Although  these  introductions  were  the 
means  of  procuring  for  Sir  Moses  the  most  friendly 
feeling  on  the  part  of  the  Queen's  ministers  and  distinct 
assurances  that  the  proceedings  at  Saffi  had  not  been 
dictated  by  any  unkindness  or  prejudice  on  their  part, 
as  well  as  letters  to  the  Spanish  Minister  at  Tangier, 
written  to  facilitate  his  object,  he  was  naturally  unwill- 
ing to  quit  Madrid  until  he  had  had  an  interview  with 
Queen  Isabella  herself.  This  took  place  on  the  30th  Nov- 
ember. Sir  Moses  was  introduced  by  Sir  J.  F.  Crampton, 
and  the  audience,  which  was  private,  lasted  a  consider- 
able time.  Sir  Moses  wrote  home  that  he  was  highly  grati- 
fied with  the  gracious  and  kind  manner  of  his  reception. 
During  the  stay  in  the  Spanish  capital  it  had  tran- 
spired that  M.  Weisweiller  was  intimately  acquainted 
with  Don  Antonio  Merry,  father  of  the  Spanish  Minis- 
ter at  Tangier,  and  Sir  Moses  consequently  stopped  at 
Seville  on  his  way  to  the  coast,  saw  Don  Antonio,  and 
obtained  a  friendly  letter  of  introduction  to  his  son. 
At  Cadiz  the  fatigue  of  incessant  travelling  began  to  tell 


194  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

on  the  energetic  philanthropist's  health,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  keep  his  bed.  His  vigorous  constitution, 
however,  soon  enabled  him  to  overcome  his  indispo- 
sition, and  the  10th  December  saw  him  on  board  the 
French  steam  frigate  Gorgone,  on  his  way  to  Tangier. 
The  arrival  at  the  Moorish  port  is  amusingly  sketched 
by  Dr.  Hodgkin,  who  wrote  an  account  of  the  tour : 

"  Our  kind  captain  and  his  officers  had  ingeniously 
contrived,  on  the  spur  of  the  occasion,  by  the  help  of 
a  mattress  and  cordage,  a  kind  of  portable  couch  or  car, 
in  which,  for  want  of  a  suitable  landing-place,  Sir  Moses 
mig-ht  be  borne  over  a  considerable  extent  of  shallow 
water  between  the  boat  and  the  shore.  His  porters  and 
a  great  many  of  the  laboring  class  of  Israelites  "were 
wading,  and  his  superior  size  thus  conspicuously  moving 
over  the  water,  surrounded  by  a  shabby  amphibious 
group,  appeared  to  me  like  a  travestied  representation  of 
ISTeptune  among  the  Tritons." 

The  Jews  of  the  town  received  Sir  Moses  with 
enthusiasm.  M.  Pariente,  a  prominent  Israelite,  vacated 
and  expressly  fitted  up  his  commodious  residence  for  the 
occupation  of  the  Hebrew  Embassy,  and  no  sooner  were 
they  housed  than  deputations  waited  upon  them  from 
the  communities  of  Tetuan,  Alcazar,  Arzila,  Laraish, 
Mequinez,  Mogador,  Azamor,  and  Fez.  The  following 
day  they  attended  divine  service  in  a  new  Synagogue 
erected  by  M.  Joseph  Eshriguy,  who  dedicated  the  sacred 
edifice  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  in  commemoration  of 
the  Mission.  Visits  were  then  paid  to  Sir  John  D.  Hay, 
the  British  representative,  his  Spanish  colleague,  Don 
Francisco  Merry  y  Colon,  and  the  Moorish  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  Sid  Mohammed  Bargush.  The  result 
of  these  interviews  was  the  release  of  the  two  Israelites 


The  Journey  to  Morocco.  195 

in  prison  at  Tangier,  and  a  promise  that  representations 
should  be  made  to  the  Safii  local  authorities  in  refer- 
ence to  the  remaining  prisoners  within  their  jurisdic- 
tion. 

Sir  Moses  did  not  coniine  his  attention  to  the  Jews. 
During  his  stay  at  Tangier  he  was  one  day  visited  by 
a  large  deputation  of  Moors,  about  lifty  in  number, 
who,  with  their  chiefs,  had  come  from  a  distant  part  of 
the  country  to  appeal  to  him  to  intercede  for  the  release 
of  one  of  their  tribe,  who  had  been  imprisoned  during 
two  years  and  a  half  on  suspicion  of  having  murdered 
two  Israelites,  but  had  not  been  brought  to  trial.  Grati- 
fied at  this  display  of  confidence  in  his  sense  of  justice 
on  the  part  of  the  native  population,  generally  so  hostile 
to  Jews,  Sir  Moses  made  careful  inquiries  into  the  case, 
and,  finding  that  the  man's  guilt  had  not  been  proved, 
promptly  interceded  with  the  authorities.  In  a  few 
hours  the  prisoner's  chains  were  removed,  and  he  was 
brought  by  the  members  of  his  tribe  to  return  thanks 
to  his  deliverer.  Sir  Moses  availed  himself  of  the  op- 
portunity to  urge  the  grateful  Moors  to  show  kindness 
and  afford  protection  to  his  co-religionists;  and  they 
readily  gave  their  solemn  promise  that  all  Jews  travel- 
ling in  their  district  should  be  safe. 

Having  determined  to  proceed  into  the  interior,  to 
the  City  of  Morocco,  in  order  to  thank  the  Sultan  for 
his  release  of  the  Tangier  prisoners,  and  to  petition  His 
Majesty  to  grant  to  his  Jewish  and  Christian  subjects 
the  same  protection  and  privileges  as  were  enjoyed  by 
their  Moorish  co-citizens.  Sir  Moses  now  returned  to 
Gibraltar,  in  order  to  take  shipping  round  the  west 
coast  to  Saffi  or  Mogador.  Before  leaving  Tangier  he 
made  a  careful  examination  of  the  condition  of  the  Jew- 


196  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

ish  community,  gave  a  great  deal  of  good  advice  to  its 
chiefs,  and  subscribed  largely  to  its  several  charities. 
Noticing  that  the  means  of  educating  Jewish  girls  of 
the  poorer  class  were  very  inadequate,  he  gave  a  sum  of 
£300  to  found  a  new  girls'  school  in  memory  of  Lady 
Montefiore.  At  Gibraltar  Sir  Moses  was  cordially  re- 
ceived by  the  Governor,  General  Sir  William  Codring- 
ton,  with  whom  he  had  been  in  correspondence  four 
years  before  in  relation  to  the  Jewish  refugees  from 
Morocco.  As  a  mark  of  respect,  a  military  band  was 
ordered  to  play  before  his  house  in  the  evening,  and  the 
Governor  gave  a  banquet  in  his  honor.  A  gratifying 
proof  of  the  benevolent  interest  of  the  Home  Govern- 
ment in  the  Mission  was  afforded  by  H.  M.  S.  Magi- 
cienne  being  placed  at  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  disposal 
by  Earl  Russell,  who  telegraphed  his  instructions  to 
Malta,  where  the  frigate  was  lying. 

On  the  6th  January  the  party  again  embarked,  and 
three  days  later,  in  the  teeth  of  contrary  winds,  arrived 
off  Saffi.  Here,  as  at  almost  every  port  on  the  West 
African  coast,  the  landing  is  very  difficult,  and  the  surf 
ran  so  high  that  all  idea  of  going  on  shore  had  to  be 
abandoned.  The  Magioienne  saluted  the  fort  with 
several  guns,  and  the  compliment  was  promptly  re- 
turned. A  conversation  was  carried  on  with  the  town 
by  signals,  when,  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  great  satis- 
faction, he  was  informed  that  the  Saffi  prisoners  had 
been  liberated.  The  arrival  of  the  Sultan's  escort,  des- 
tined to  accompany  the  venerable  Jew  to  the  capital, 
was  also  announced.  On  the  following  day  a  safe  land- 
ing was  effected  at  Mogador  ;  and  during  the  aftei-noon 
of  Sunday,  the  17th  January,  the  octogenarian  philan- 
thropist, with  a  numerous  escort,  set  out  on  his  difficult 


The  Journey  to  Morocco.  197 

journey  across  the  desert  of  the  Atlas  to  the  City  of 
Morocco. 

Sir  Moses  Montefiore  has  himself  briefly  described 
this  interesting  excursion  in  his  letters  to  his  nephew, 
Mr.  J.  M.  Montefiore,  who  acted  as  president  of  the 
Board  of  Deputies  during  his  uncle's  absence.  In  a 
letter  dated  "  Morocco,  the  26th  January,"  he  writes : 

"  Were  I  to  attempt  even  an  outline  of  each  day's 
events  I  should  greatly  exceed  the  limits  of  a  letter; 
suffice  it,  therefore,  to  say  that  we  happily  accomplished 
our  journey  from  Mogador  to  this  city  in  eight  days, 
resting  on  the  Sabbath.  During  this  period  we  were 
subjected  to  a  broiling  sun  by  day  and  cold  and  occa- 
sionally heavy  dews  and  high  winds  by  night ;  never- 
theless, we  have  borne  our  fatigues  well ;  fortunately 
we  escaped  rain,  otherwise,  apart  from  every  other  in- 
convenience, we  might  have  been  detained  for  days  in 
staying  to  pass  rivers  ;  as  it  was,  happily  no  such  imped- 
iment arose.  .  .  .  The  distance  from  Mogador  to  Mo- 
rocco (city)  is  said  to  be  about  110  miles ;  we  have, 
therefore,  travelled  at  an  average  of  sixteen  miles  a 
day.  This  may  occasion  a  smile  to  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  railway  speed  ;  but  it  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  there  are  no  roads  in  this  empire,  that  we  had  to 
encamp  each  day  some  hours  before  darkness  to  enable 
our  camels,  etc.,  to  reach  the  resting-place,  and  for  the 
erection  of  our  tents,  etc.,  etc.,  and  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  that  we  should  stop  at  the  margin  of  some 
stream  or  river,  an  ample  supply  of  water  being  indis- 
pensable. After  our  first  day's  journey  we  kept  the 
snow-clad  Atlas  mountains  constantly  in  view  ;  our  en- 
campments and  the  surrounding  scenery  each  day  of 
our  pilgrimage  wonJd  liave  offered  a  series  of  charming 


198  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

scenes  for  an  artist.  You  may  judge  of  the  importance 
of  our  numbers :  Our  encampment  consisted  of  from 
thirteen  to  fifteen  camels,  several  baggage  mules,  about 
100  camp-followers,  including  soldiers,  etc. ;  indeed,  on 
Friday  afternoon,  after  we  had  been  met  by  the  deputa- 
tion from  Morocco,  Mr.  Samuel  counted  about  eighteen 
camels  and  sixty  horses  and  mules,  with  a  few  donkeys 
in  addition." 

At  every  town  and  village  on  their  route  the  travel- 
lers, being  guests  of  the  Sultan,  were  received  with 
hospitality  and  respect.  Each  night  the  Moors  in  the 
locality  made  "mona"  for  them  and  their  retinue,  an 
entertainment  provided  gratis  by  the  people,  and  sub- 
tracted from  the  taxes,  which  they  afterwards  pay  in 
kind  to  the  Sultan.  One  of  these  "  monas,"  presented 
by  a  generous  Pasha,  consisted  of  four  sheep,  a  large 
number  of  fowls,  a  thousand  eggs,  melons,  a  stupendous 
gourd,  honey,  ten  pounds  of  loaf-sugar,  wax  candles, 
vegetables,  etc.  Sir  Moses,  of  course,  made  suitable 
presents  in  return.  The  aged  traveller,  finding  himself 
unequal  to  keeping  the  saddle,  travelled  in  a  chaise-a- 
porteur,  lent  him  by  Sr.  Jose  Daniel  Colaco,  the  Por- 
tuguese Minister  at  Tangier.  Long  before  the  arrival 
at  the  City  of  Morocco,  deputations  of  Jews  and  further 
escorts  of  the  Sultan's  troops  reached  Sir  Moses,  and 
outside  the  walls  twelve  ofllcers  of  distinction  waited 
to  conduct  him  to  the  Palace  which  the  Sultan  had 
appointed  for  his  residence.  Dr.  Hodgkin's  description 
of  this  Moorish  dwelling  is  very  interesting  : 

"  It  consists  of  two  stories,  with  an  imperfect  third. 
In  the  basement  is  an  inner  court,  with  a  small  fount  in 
the  middle,  surrounded  by  apartments,  which  served  as 
day-rooms,  eating-rooms,  and  bedrooms.     The  court  is 


The  Journey  to  Morocco.  199 

not  open  to  the  sky,  as  is  common  in  Moorish  houses ; 
and  its  roof  forms  the  floor  to  the  court  of  the  story 
above.  A  narrow  staircase  near  the  entrance  leads  to 
the  next  story,  consisting  of  a  larger  and  smaller  hall, 
both  of  which  are  open  to  the  sky,  and  partially  sur- 
rounded by  apartments,  devoted  to  the  personal  service 
of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  and  also  of  his  official  attend- 
ants. From  this  floor  another  stau'case  leads  to  the  roof, 
which  is  surrounded  by  a  parapet.  The  openings  to  the 
halls  below  are  similarly  protected.  Two  small  rooms 
taken  out  of  the  apai'tments  on  one  side  form  the  partial 
third  story.  The  first  impression  we  received  on  en- 
tering this  imperial  residence  was  not  very  pleasing. 
There  was  a  degree  of  dampness,  with  a  close  and  musty 
odor,  which  convinced  us  that  it  had  not  been  recently 
tenanted ;  but  a  Httle  observation  sufficed  to  show  us 
that  it  had  been  diligently  put  into  something  like 
order,  and  beautified,  though  still  very  deficient  in  furni- 
ture, and  most  of  those  things  we  regard  as  comforts  ; 
but  there  was  a  good  deal  of  finery  and  effect  in  inferior 
workmanship.  For  example,  there  were  pilasters  and 
arches  in  plaster,  and  the  capitals  of  the  latter  picked 
out  in  colored  wash.  Paint,  and  white  and  yellow 
washes,  had  been  employed  within  and  without.  Kew 
Brussels  carpets  had  been  laid  down  on  some  of  the 
floors ;  beds  and  ornamental  pillows,  either  placed  on 
European  bedsteads  or  immediately  on  the  floor,  were 
prepared  in  the  sleeping  apartments.  Tumblers  of  cut 
glass,  gilt,  for  use  at  dinner  ;  large  earthen  jars,  capable 
of  holding  neai'ly  twenty  gallons,  stood  in  the  halls  ;  but 
tables,  chau's,  and  other  seats  were  nearly,  if  not  alto- 
gether, absent.  The  windows  were  not  glazed ;  but  they 
might  be  closed  by  jalousies  or  shutters,  which,  though 


200  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejiore. 

they  would  serve  to  keep  out  light  and  rain,  were  in- 
effectual defences  against  the  cold,  which,  owing  to  the 
proximity  of  the  snowy  Atlas  range,  made  the  nights  of 
so  low  a  temperature,  that  we  stood  in  more  need  of 
warm  clothing  in  that  part  of  the  twenty-four  hours  than 
I  have  almost  ever  done  in  England.  There  were  no 
fireplaces,  so  we  used  the  kitchen  chafing-dishes  to  give 
us  a  little  warmth  in  the  evening." 

Five  days  were  occupied  in  Hstening  to  Jewish  depu- 
tations, and  conferring  with  Moorish  ministers.  On 
the  31st  January  an  official  intimation  was  conveyed  to 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore  that  the  Sultan  would  receive 
him  pubhcly  on  the  next  day.  We  cannot  do  better 
than  give  Sir  Moses'  own  account  of  this  memorable 
interview : 

"  On  Monday,  the  1st  instant,  long  before  dawn,  we 
could  distinguish  the  sounds  of  martial  music,  indicating 
the  muster  of  the  troops  in  and  about  the  environs  of  the 
Sultan's  palace.  At  the  early  hour  of  seven  a.m.,  I  had 
the  honor  to  receive  a  visit  from  Sid  Saib  El  Yamaiiy, 
the  good  and  intelligent  Oozier,  or  Chief  Minister  of 
His  Sheriffian  Majesty,  Sidi  Mohamed  Ben  Abderahman 
Ben  Hisham,  the  j)i'esent  Sultan  of  Morocco.  He 
expressed  the  pleasure  of  the  Sultan  to  receive  us  at 
his  Court,  and  His  Majesty's  desire  to  make  our 
visit  to  his  capital  an  agreeable  one.  Shortly  after 
the  departure  of  the  Oozier,  the  Royal  Vice-Chamber- 
lain, with  a  cortege  of  cavalry,  arrived  at  our  palace  to 
convey  us  to  the  audience.  You  may  recollect  that  our 
party,  in  addition  to  myself,  consisted  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Fellowes  Reade,  Consul  to  Her  Britannic  Majesty  at 
Tangier,  Captain  William  Armytage,  of  H.M.S.  Magi- 
ciernie,  two  of  his  officers,  Dr.  James  Gibson,  Thomas 


The  Journey  to  Morocco.  201 

Forbes,  and  Lieutenant  Francis  Durant,  my  fellow- 
travellers  Dr.  Thomas  Hoclgkin,  and  Mr.  Sampson 
Samuel,  and  Mr.  Moses  JS'ahon,  of  Tangier,  who  had 
volunteered  to  accompany  us  to  Morocco,  and  to  whom 
we  are  all  deeply  indebted.  ...  A  quarter  of  an  hour's 
ride  brought  us  to  the  gates  opening  upon  an  avenue 
leading  to  the  courtyard,  or  open  space  before  the  palace. 
This  avenue,  which  is  of  very  considerable  length,  was 
lined  on  both  sides  by  infantry  troops,  of  great  variety  of 
hue  and  accoutrements.  They  were  standing  in  closely 
serried  ranks,  and  we  must  have  passed  several  hundreds 
before  emerging  into  the  open  plain.  There  a  magnifi- 
cent sight  opened  upon  us ;  we  beheld  in  every  direction 
masses  of  troops,  consisting  of  cavalry  and  foot-soldiers. 
I  should  estimate  the  total  number  assembled  on  this 
occasion  at  not  less  than  six  thousand.  We  went  for- 
ward some  little  distance  into  the  plain,  and  saw 
approaching  us  the  Oozier,  the  Grand  Chamberlain,  and 
other  dignitaries  of  the  Court.  I  descended  from  my 
vehicle,  and  my  companions  ahghted  from  their  steeds 
to  meet  them.  We  were  cordially  welcomed.  We 
arranged  ourselves  in  a  line  to  await  the  appearance  of 
the  Sultan.  This  was  preceded  by  a  string  of  led  white 
horses,  and  the  Sultan's  carriage  covered  with  green 
cloth.  His  Majesty's  approach  was  announced  by  a  flour- 
ish of  trumpets ;  then  His  Majesty  appeared,  mounted  on  a 
superb  white  charger,  the  spirited  movements  of  which 
were  controlled  by  him  with  consummate  skill.  The  color 
of  the  charger  intimated  that  we  were  welcomed  with  the 
highest  distinction.  The  countenance  of  His  Majesty 
is  expressive  of  great  intelligence  and  benevolence. 
The  Sultan  expressed  his  pleasure  at  seeing  me  at  his 

Com-t ;  he  said  my  name  was  well  known  to  him,  as 
9* 


202  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

well  as  my  desire  to  improve  the  condition  of  my 
brethren ;  he  hoped  that  my  sojourn  in  his  cajDital  would 
be  agreeable ;  he  dwelt  with  great  emphasis  on  his  long- 
existing  amicable  relations  with  our  country;  he  also 
said  it  was  gratifying  to  him  to  see  two  of  the  officers 
in  its  service  at  his  Court.  I  had  the  honor,  at  this 
audience,  to  place  in  the  hands  of  His  Majesty  my 
Memorial  on  behalf  of  the  Jewish  and  Christian  sub- 
jects of  his  Empire.  After  the  interview  we  were 
escorted  back  to  our  garden  palace  with  the  same 
honors  as  had  been  paid  to  us  on  our  way  to  the  Court, 
my  chair  having  a  white  horse  led  before  it,  as  well  on 
my  going  as  on  my  returning,  which  is  a  high  and  dis- 
tinguished mark  of  honor.  The  Oozier  had  invited  us 
to  his  palace  for  the  evening  of  the  same  day ;  we  were 
entertained  with  true  Oriental  hospitahty.  In  the  course 
of  the  evening's  conversation,  we  elicited  from  the 
Oozier  the  assurance  of  the  Sultan's  desire,  as  well  as 
his  own,  to  protect  the  Jews  of  Morocco.  He  took 
notes  of  some  particular  grievances  which  we  brought 
to  his  knowledge,  and  promised  to  institute  the  neces- 
sary inquiries,  with  a  view  to  their  being  redressed. 
Other  measures  were  discussed,  such  as  the  enlargement 
of  the  crowded  Jewish  quarters  in  Mogador,  the  grant 
of  a  house  for  a  hospital  at  Tangier,  all  of  which  the 
Oozier  assured  us  should  receive  his  favorable  consider- 
ation." 

On  the  following  Friday  the  Sultan's  reply  to  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore's  Memorial  was  received  in  the  shape 
of  an  important  edict  commanding  that  the  Jews  and 
all  other  subjects  "  shall  be  treated  in  manner  conform- 
able with  the  evenly  balanced  scales  of  justice,  and  that 
they  shall  occupy  a  position  of  perfect  equality  with  all 


The  Jov/rney  to  Morocco.  203 

other  people."  The  next  day  lie  paid  a  farewell  visit 
to  tlie  Moorish  sovereign,  who  received  him  in  state  in 
a  Kiosk  in  the  Palace  Gardens.  His  Majesty's  manner 
was  extremely  courteous,  and,  in  a  conversation  of  some 
length,  he  renewed  his  assurance  of  welcome,  expressed 
a  hope  that  Sir  Moses  had  been  happy  and  comfortable 
during  his  stay  in  the  capital,  and  repeated  his  declara- 
tion that  it  was  his  intention  and  desire  to  protect  his 
Jewish  subjects.  An  inspection  of  the  Jewish  quarter 
followed,  and  on  the  8th  February — ^the  objects  of  the 
mission  having  been  accomplished — Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore,  accompanied  by  a  brilliant  military  escort,  bade 
farewell  to  the  city  and  proceeded  towards  Mazagran, 
where  it  had  been  arranged  that  the  Magicienne  should 
meet  him.  The  journey  back  to  the  coast  occupied 
seven  days,  exclusive  of  the  Sabbath,  and  was  marked 
by  even  greater  cordiahty  on  the  part  of  the  native 
population  than  the  march  from  Mogador  into  the  in- 
terior. 

At  Gibraltar  Sir  Moses  again  spent  several  days,  re- 
ceiving deputations,  paying  visits,  and  getting  through 
a  vast  amount  of  correspondence,  which  the  business  of 
his  mission  had  entailed  upon  him.  Thence  he  took  the 
French  steam  packet  to  Malaga,  and  the  railway  to 
Madrid,  where  he  had  a  second  interview  with  Queen 
Isabella,  who  congratulated  him  on  the  success  of  his 
embassy.  From  Madrid  he  travelled,  partly  by  carriage- 
road  and  partly  by  railway,  to  Paris,  stopping  at  Bay- 
onne  for  a  day  to  celebrate  the  Jewish  feast  of  Purim. 
In  the  French  capital  he  had  a  private  audience  of  the 
Emperor  Kapoleon  III.,  who  welcomed  him  most 
graciously,  and  to  whom  he  presented  a  copy  of  the  Im- 
perial Edict  of  the  Sultan  of  Morocco.    Two  days  later 


204  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

lie  was  receiving  the  felicitations  of  his  friends  at  East 
CM  Lodge. 

Congratulatory  addresses  were  showered  upon  the 
venerable  baronet  from  all  parts  of  England  and  the 
Continent.  In  the  House  of  Commons  the  Under 
Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs  (Mr.  Layard) 
gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  mission.  "  When  it 
is  recollected,"  said  the  honorable  gentleman,  "  that 
there  are  500,000  Jews  in  Morocco,  some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  great  service  rendered  by  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore ;  and  having  had  the  honor  of  acting  with 
him  on  various  occasions,  I  can  bear  testimony  to  the 
noble  and  generous  spirit  of  humanity  and  philanthropy 
which  actuates  him,  without  reference  to  any  sect  or 
creed,  which  extends  to  the  people  of  every  nation  who 
are  suffering  wrong  and  injustice."  The  Court  of 
Common  Council  took  the  opportunity  of  pubhcly 
according  him  the  thanks  of  the  citizens  of  London 
"  for  the  signal  services  he  had  rendered  by  missions  to 
various  countries  for  the  relief  of  persons  oppressed  for 
their  religious  convictions,  and  more  especially  by  a 
journey  to  Morocco,  undertaken  to  solicit  the  Emperor 
to  relieve  his  Jewish  and  Christian  subjects  from  all 
civil  and  religious  disabilities."  It  may  be  mentioned 
here  that  at  a  later  date  the  Fishmongers'  Company 
offered  him  their  freedom,  and  the  Master,  Mr.  Yenning, 
and  other  members  of  the  Court,  proceeded  to  East  Cliff 
to  invest  him. 

The  mission  to  Morocco  was  a  notable  achievement ; 
and  although  it  did  not  altogether  stop  persecution,  it 
must  be  ranked  among  the  most  remarkable  of  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore's  works.  Whatever  the  local  acts  of 
oppression  by  irresponsible  ojQficials,  the  Edict  obtained 


Another  Busy  Decade.  205 

by  the  venerable  Hebrew  remains  a  charter  to  which  his 
co-religionists  can  always  appeal ;  and  when,  one  of 
these  days,  there  may  be  more  cohesion  in  the  machin- 
ery of  Moorish  government,  it  will  be  a  power  in  the 
land.  But  power  or  no  power,  law  or  dead-letter,  the 
spirit  which  inspired  its  silver-haired  author,  imder  the 
weight  of  fourscore  years,  to  undertake  a  long  and 
perilous  journey  to  obtain  it,  can  never  cease  to  do 
honor  to  his  name. 


CHAPTEK  XYI. 

ANOTHEE   BrST   DECADE. 

Drought  in  the  Holy  Land. — A  new  Relief  Fund. — The  Sixth 
Journey  to  Palestine. — The  Locust  Pest  in  Palestine. — Sir  Moses 
Investigates  the  Condition  of  the  Jerusalem  Jewish  Community. 
— Promotes  Public  Works  in  the  Holy  City. — Holds  an  Inquiry 
respecting  a  Charge  brought  against  the  Safed  Jews  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Macleod. — Suggestions  for  the  Application  of  the  Bal- 
ance of  the  Relief  Fund. — Death  of  Dr.  Hodgkin. — Persecution 
of  Jews  in  Roumania. — Mission  to  Bucharest. — Interviews  with 
Prince  Charles. — The  Prince's  Assurances. — Home  Labors. — A 
Second  Journey  to  Russia. — Reception  at  St.  Petersburg. — Audi- 
ence with  the  Czar  Alexander  II.  — Improved  Condition  of  the 
Russian  Jews. — Resignation  of  the  Presidency  of  the  Board  of 
Deputies. — The  Montefiore  Testimonial  Fund. 

Yeey  few  examples  of  activity  in  public  affairs  after 
the  eighth  decade  are  afforded  in  biographical  literature. 
The  spectacle  of  Lord  Brougham  at  eighty-two  heading 
a  great  social  gathering  like  that  wliich  took  place  at 
Glasgow  in  September,  18 GO,  or  of  Lord  Lyndhurst  at 


206  The  Life  of  Sir  Hoses  Montejwre. 

eightj-eiglit  pouring  out  the  words  of  experience  and 
sagacity  in  the  House  of  Lords  for  four  hours  at  a  time, 
stands  almost  alone.  These  octogenarian  feats  have, 
however,  been  eclipsed  by  Sir  Moses  Moutefiore.  In 
the  most  characteristic  business  of  his  public  career — 
missions  to  foreign  countries  in  the  interests  of  his 
brethren — his  eighth  and  ninth  decade  have  been  the 
busiest  of  his  life.  If  the  reader  will  turn  back  the 
pages  of  this  work  he  will  find  that  while  Sir  Moses 
undertook  only  one  journey  during  his  fifth  decade,  and 
two  in  his  sixth  and  seventh  respectively,  he  performed 
four  in  his  eighth.  During  his  ninth  decade  he  also 
undertook  four  journeys — two  to  Jerusalem,  one  to 
Roumania,  and  one  to  Russia. 

The  year  1865  found  the  Holy  Land  again  suffering 
from  drought  and  disease.  A  pest  of  locusts  covered 
the  country,  and  in  Jerusalem  the  cholera  raged  with 
such  fierceness  that  within  a  short  time  fifteen  per  cent. 
of  the  population  were  cut  off  by  it.  The  usual  appeal 
was  addressed  to  Sir  Moses  Moutefiore,  and  he,  in  con- 
junction with  the  Board  of  Deputies,  started  another 
Holy  Land  Relief  Fund.  About  £3000  were  sent  out 
to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  moment,  and  early  in 
1866,  Su'  Moses  proceeded  to  the  East  with  the  object 
of  personally  applying  the  balance  of  the  fund.  He 
was  accomjjanied  by  Dr.  Hodgkin,  his  Quaker  physician. 
Captain  Henry  Moore,  brother  of  the  British  Consul  at 
Jerusalem,  his  relatives,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sebag,  and  his 
old  friend.  Dr.  Loewe. 

Of  this  tour,  as  of  the  succeeding  journey  to  Pales- 
tine, Sir  Moses  Moutefiore  has  himself  written  an  ac- 
count. It  is  in  the  shape  of  a  report  to  the  Board  of 
Deputies,  but  in  style  and  matter  it  is  far  more  interest- 


Another  Busy  Decade.  207 

ing  than  oflScial  documents  usually  are.  He  tells  us  how 
on  his  arrival  in  Egypt  he  repaired  to  the  Synagogue 
Kinees  Elieyahoo,  "  which  is  built  on  the  spot  where  it 
is  said  the  celebrated  Temple  of  Alexandria,  or  Onias, 
once  stood."  He  graphically  describes  his  landing  at 
Jaffa,  when  he  was  ceremoniously  received  by  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  town,  the  judges,  the  commander  of  the 
troops,  and  the  representatives  of  the  various  religious 
denominations.  He  relates  how  his  friends  immediately 
on  his  arrival  gave  Mm  descriptions  of  the  sufferings 
and  loss  of  life  occasioned  by  the  recent  calamities. 
"  Yery  frequently,"  he  adds,  "  these  afflicting  narratives 
were  interrupted  by  the  appearance  upon  our  windows 
of  the  new  and  stiQ  green  locusts,  which  we  were  in- 
formed were  the  much  dreaded  forerunners  of  another 
bad  season.  Many  a  morning  before  sunrise  we  heard 
the  rattling  of  the  drum  to  awaken  the  inhabitants  of 
Jaffa  to  the  fulfilment  of  their  duty,  each  to  collect  a 
measure  of  locusts  before  daybreak,  so  that  the  threaten- 
ing enemy  might  be  destroyed.  The  appearance  of 
these  locusts  is  the  more  dreaded  on  account  of  the  be- 
hef  that  it  always  brings  in  its  train  some  epidemic  dis- 
ease, the  woful  consequence  of  which  had  so  recently 
been  experienced."  On  the  road  to  Jerusalem  he  was 
hospitably  entertained  in  the  mountain  home  of  the 
chief  of  Aboo-Goosh,  "supposed  to  be  the  Kiryat- 
Tearim  of  Scripture,  where  Abinadab  dwelt,  in  whose 
house,  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  the  ark  of  the  Lord  had 
been  placed  when  taken  from  the  Philistines  of  Beth- 
Shemesh." 

At  Jerusalem  Sir  Moses  was,  as  usual,  received  with 
distinction,  and  during  his  stay  the  Governor  stationed 
a  guard  of  honor  at  his  dwelling.     He  visited  the  vai'i- 


208  The  Life  of  8ir  Moses  Montefiore. 

ous  institutions  of  the  city,  and  Lis  o^vn  special  founda- 
tions, and  was  pleased  to  find  them  well  administered. 
During  his  stay  he  not  only  inquired  minutely  into  the 
condition  of  the  Jewish  community,  and  distributed 
large  sums  among  the  poor,  but  he  also  promoted  sev- 
eral works  of  importance  to  the  general  population. 
He  concerted  measures  with  the  Governor  to  improve 
the  water-sujjply  of  Jerusalem,  and  had  the  gratification 
of  seeing  water  reflowing  into  the  city  from  the  pools 
of  Solomon ;  he  contributed  to  the  building  of  a  hos- 
pital for  leprosy,  and  he  erected  an  awning  at  the 
"  Wailing  Place,"  near  the  western  wall  of  the  Temple, 
in  order  to  afford  shelter  to  the  pious  persons  visiting 
the  sacred  spot  for  meditation  and  prayer.  An  interest- 
ing incident  of  his  stay  in  the  Holy  City  was  a  quasi- 
judicial  inquiry  he  held  respecting  an  accusation  pub- 
lished by  Good  Words  against  the  spu'itual  heads  of  the 
Safed  congregation.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Macleod,  who  had 
visited  Palestine  in  1864,  wrote  to  that  journal  charging 
the  Safed  Jews  with  having  inflicted  the  punishment  of 
death  on  a  Spanish  Jewess  who  had  been  convicted  of 
adultery.  Sii*  Moses  sent  to  Safed  for  the  Rabbis,  the 
members  of  the  Jewish  Ecclesiastical  Court,  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  persons  caj)able  of  giving  evidence  in  the 
case,  and  satisfied  himself  that  there  was  no  truth  in 
the  accusation. 

The  result  of  his  inquiries  as  to  the  best  means  of 
expending  the  balance  of  the  Relief  Fund,  he  thus  sets 
forth  in  his  report : 

"  There  now  remains  for  me  to  present  to  you  my  hum- 
ble opinion  as  to  the  most  practicable  remedies  which 
can  be  apphed  for  the  mitigation  of  the  evils  under  which 
our  brethren  in  the  Holy  Land  labor,  and  to  state  to 


Another  Busy  Decade.  209 

you  the  result  of  that  investigation.  Let  me  remind 
you,  in  the  first  place,  that  in  our  own  country  it  seems 
to  have  become  the  settled  opinion  of  those  to  whom 
England  would  point  as  the  men  of  the  highest  intellect, 
and  the  greatest  experience  and  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
humanity,  that  the  wisest  scheme  for  being  at  the  same 
time  useful  and  charitable  to  the  poor,  is  to  be  found  in 
the  erection,  maintenance,  and  improvement  of  dwell- 
ing-houses. The  reasons  on  which  this  opinion  is 
founded  have  been  of  late  so  often  and  so  ably  ex- 
pounded, that  any  attempt  to  enlarge  upon  them  here 
would  be  out  of  place.  But  if  these  reasons  apply  to 
the  condition  of  the  poor  of  England,  I  am  convinced, 
by  the  information  I  received  from  the  most  intelhgent 
persons  in  the  East,  and  by  a  careful  and  anxious  study 
of  those  circumstances  which  surround  the  Jews  of  Pal- 
estine— circumstances  which  I  have  attempted  to  fore- 
shadow in  this  Eeport — that  the  same  reasons  apply 
with  tenfold  force  to  the  poverty  and  distress  which 
prevail  amongst  our  co-religionists  in  the  Holy  Land. 
1  am  therefore  of  opinion,  that  the  balance  of  the  Eelief 
Fund  cannot  be  better  employed  than  in  the  erection 
of  dwellings,  as  far  as  the  means  will  admit,  on  the 
ground  already  selected  by  me — a  ground  which,  for  its 
healthy  position,  and  many  other  reasons,  I  deem  best 
adapted  for  the  desired  object.  I  would  further  sug- 
gest to  my  co-religionists,  that  with  a  view  of  remo\ang 
existing  evils,  and  of  promoting  the  well-being  of  the 
Jews  in  the  Holy  Land,  a  general  collection  should  be 
made,  so  as  to  constitute  a  fund,  as  well  for  the  encour- 
agement of  agricultural  pursuits,  as  for  the  erection  of 
additional  dwellings  outside  the  walls  of  the  Holy  City. 
I  am  quite  aware  that  your  honorable  Board  could  not 


210  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

impose  on  itself  so  heavy  and  responsible  an  undertak- 
ing ;  but  I  hope  and  believe  that  the  Jews  at  large  may 
du'ect  their  attention  thereto,  and  conjointly,  by  means 
of  Building  Societies,  or  otherwise,  organize  the  neces- 
sary arrangements." 

During  this  tour.  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  his  attached  and  highly  valued  friend. 
Dr.  Hodgkin,  who  expired  after  a  short  illness  at  Jaffa. 
For  forty  years  he  had  been  intimately  associated  with 
the  Jewish  philanthropist,  in  whose  benevolent  schemes 
he  had  always  taken  an  ardent  interest.  Sir  Moses  made 
a  touching  reference  to  his  loss  in  his  report  to  the 
Board  of  Deputies : 

"  It  has  pleased  the  Almighty  to  take  him  [Dr. 
Hodgkin]  from  us,  and  that  he  should  not  again  behold 
his  loving  consort  and  beloved  relatives.  He  breathed 
his  last  in  a  land  endeared  to  him  by  hallowed  reminis- 
cences. To  one  so  guileless,  so  pious,  so  amiable  in  pri- 
vate life,  so  respected  in  his  public  career,  and  so  desir- 
ous to  assist,  with  all  his  heart,  in  the  amehoration  of 
the  condition  of  the  human  race,  death  could  not  have 
had  any  terror.  Hjs  soul  has  ascended  to  appear  before 
the  throne  of  glory,  there  to  receive  that  heavenly  re- 
compense which  is  awarded  to  the  good  and  rigliteous 
of  all  nations.  I  trust  I  may  be  pardoned  for  this  heart- 
felt but  inadequate  tribute  to  the  memory  of  my  late 
friend.  His  long  and  intimate  association  with  me 
and  my  late  dearly-beloved  wife,  his  companionship 
in  our  travels,  and  the  vivid  recollection  of  his  many 
virtues,  make  me  anxious  to  blend  his  name,  and 
the  record  of  his  virtues,  with  the  narrative  of  these 
events." 

Over  his  grave  at  Jaffa  Sir  Moses  erected  an  obelisk 


Another  Busy  Decade.  211 

inscribed  with  a  feeling  tribute  to  bis  scientific  attain- 
ments and  "  self-sacrificing  philanthropy." 

The  next  journey  was  to  Koiimania,  and  was  under- 
taken in  the  following  year.  The  persecution  and  op- 
pression of  the  Jews  in  this  Principality  arise  very  cu- 
riously from  an  abuse  of  the  constitutional  fonn  of 
government  which  the  Western  Powers  conferred  on 
Moldo-Wallachia  in  1856.  Although  to-day  the  Eou- 
manian  Jews  are  held  by  law  to  be  aliens,  they  were, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  established  in  the  country  long  be- 
fore the  present  composite  people,  or  even  the  race 
which  gave  its  name  to  the  land.  From  the  soil  of 
ancient  Dacia  prayers  were  offered  up  to  the  God  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  at  a  time  when  altars  dedi- 
cated to  Mars  and  Yenus  were  yet  unknown.  But 
what  in  after  yeai's  particularly  attracted  the  Jews  to 
the  country  was  the  absence  there  of  any  great  trading 
class.  Agriculturists  were  many,  and  landed  proprie- 
tors were  also  numerous ;  but  a  mercantile  and  industrial 
class,  capable  of  turning  the  resources  of  the  land  to 
commercial  account,  did  not  exist.  For  a  long  period 
the  Jews  were  the  only  mechanics,  manufacturers,  and 
merchants  in  Roumania.  When,  in  course  of  time,  the 
Roumans  themselves  engaged  m  these  occupations,  the 
rivalry  between  them  and  the  Hebrews  became  intense, 
and  bitter  jealousies  arose.  The  Eoumans,  assuming 
a  history  and  an  ethnography  that  did  not  exist,  mur- 
umred  that  the  "  stranger"  was  stealing  the  national 
birthright.  It  was  not,  however,  until  1856  that  this 
rivalry  assumed  a  dangerous  form.  Then,  when  the 
people,  under  a  constitutional  government,  superseded 
the  powers  of  the  Hospodars  and  Boyars,  who  had 
formerly  protected  the  Jews,  they  set  themselves  to  op- 


212  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

press  their  too  active  competitors.  They  commenced 
bj  ignoring  tliem  in  their  franchise  sclieme,  and  after- 
waixis,  one  by  one,  closed  against  them  various  branches 
of  trade.  Constitutional  government,  in  fact,  enabled 
an  ignorant  and  selfish  people  to  give  expression  to  their 
selfishness  and  intolerance,  where  a  wise  autocracy  had 
formerly  kept  such  passions  in  check.  It  is  truly  a  curi- 
ous page  in  the  history  of  politics. 

Popular  feeling  once  unmuzzled,  the  anti-Jewish 
movement  took  a  wide  scope.  From  legal  oppression 
in  the  Council  Chamber  to  violent  persecution  m  the 
streets  is  but  a  step  ;  and  from  1864  to  the  end  of  1866 
not  a  month  passed  but  some  dreadful  outrage  upon  the 
Jews  was  chronicled.  M.  Cremieux  paid  a  visit  to 
Bucharest  in  1866,  and  secured  a  large  number  of  prom- 
ises from  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  to  sup- 
port a  measure  emancipating  the  Jews ;  but  no  sooner 
had  he  left,  than  the  peoj^le  rose,  threatened  Parlia- 
ment, maltreated  a  number  of  Jews,  and  destroyed  their 
Synagogue,  which  was  the  finest  building  in  the  capital. 

In  1867  the  persecutions  became  more  cruel.  No 
sooner  had  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  returned  from  Jerusa- 
lem, than  he  found  himself  compelled  to  open  a  corre- 
spondence with  the  British  Government  on  the  subject. 
At  his  request  Lord  Stanley  telegraphed  a  vigorous  re- 
monstrance to  the  Eoumanian  Goverqment,  but  still 
tlie  persecutions  continued.  In  June  serious  anti-Jewish 
riots  took  place  at  Jassy  and  other  places ;  and  about 
the  middle  of  July  public  opinion  in  Europe  was  shocked 
by  an  exceptionally  terrible  outrage  at  Galatz,  called  in 
the  consular  despatches  the  "  Noyades  of  Galatz."  Ten 
Jews,  who  were  alleged  by  the  Roumanian  Government 
to  be  vagabonds  from  Turkey,  but  who  were  in  reality 


Another  Busy  Decade.  213 

natives  of  Eoumania,  were  ordered  to  be  expelled  the 
country.  A  file  of  soldiers  escorted  tliem  from  Galatz, 
half-way  across  the  Danube,  and  landed  them,  without 
food  or  fuel,  on  a  marshy  island.  During  the  night  one 
of  them  perished  in  the  mud.  The  survivors  were  res- 
cued by  the  Turks,  and  taken  back  to  Galatz ;  but  on 
attempting  to  reland,  a  scuffle  took  place,  and  the  Rou- 
manian soldiers  drove  the  poor  Hebrews  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet  into  the  river,  where  they  were  drowned. 

The  incident  caused  great  indignation  in  Western 
Europe,  and  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  as  President  of  the 
Board  of  Deputies,  set  out  immediately  for  Bucharest, 
to  make  personal  representations  to  Prince  (now  King) 
Charles  on  the  whole  question  of  the  treatment  of  the 
Eoumanian  Jews.  At  Paris  he  was  received  by  the 
Emperor  !Rapoleon  III.,  who  assured  him  of  his  best 
wishes  and  support,  and  attached  a  French  officer  to  his 
suite  as  a  mark  of  his  sympathy.  ]S^otwitlistanding  his 
great  age.  Sir  Moses  travelled  very  rapidly,  engaging 
special  trains  when  the  ordinary  service  did  not  insure 
sufficient  despatch,  and  at  Donauwerth  hiring  a  special 
steamer  to  take  him  down  the  Danube  via  Yienna  into 
Poumania.  Immediately  on  arriving  at  Bucharest,  he 
was  cordially  welcomed  by  the  Corps  Diplomatique, 
who  assured  him  that,  under  the  instructions  of  their 
respective  governments,  he  might  rely  on  their  best  ser- 
vices being  placed  at  his  disposal  for  the  accomplishment 
of  the  object  of  his  Mission. 

Sir  Moses  had  several  interviews  with  the  Prince,  and 
the  members  of  his  government,  and  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing from  his  Highness  the  most  gratifying  assurances. 
Before  his  departure  he  received  the  following  note 
from  the  Prince  : 


214  The  Life  of  Si/r  Moses  Montefiore. 

"  MONSIEUK  LE  BaEOKNET, 

"  J'ai  reeu  votre  lettre  du  27  Aout  dernier,  et  j'en  ai 
pris  connaissance  avec  un  \\i  interct.  Comme  j'ai  eu 
I'occasion  de  vous  le  dire  de  vive  voix,  les  vceux  que 
voiis  formez  pour  vos  co-religioimaires  sont  deja  accom- 
plis.  Le  Israelites  sont  I'objet  de  toute  ma  sollicitude 
et  de  toute  celle  de  mon  Gouvernement,  et  je  suis  bien 
aise  que  vous  sojez  venu  en  Roumanie  pour  vous  con- 
vaincre  que  la  persecution  religieuse,  dont  la  malveil- 
lance  a  fait  tant  de  bruit,  n'existe  point.  S'il  est  arrive 
que  des  Israelites  fussent  inquietes,  ce  sont  la  des  faits 
isoles  dont  mon  Gouvernement  ne  peut  pas  assumer  la 
responsabilite.  Je  tiendra  toujours  a  bonneur  de  faire 
respecter  la  liberte  religieuse,  et  je  veillerai  sans  cesse  a 
I'execution  des  lois  qui  protegent  les  Israelites,  comme 
tous  les  autres  Roumains  dans  leur  personne,  et  dans 
leur  biens. 

"  Yeuillez  regevoir,  Monsieur  le  Baronnet,  I'assurance 
de  ma  consideration  tres  distinguee. 

"  Charles. 
"CoTROCENi,  LE  18/30  Aout,  1867." 

To  wbat  extent  Prince  Charles  was  boodwinked  by 
bis  own  ministers  it  is  impossible  to  say ;  but  notwith- 
standing the  professions  contained  in  this  letter — the 
sincerity  of  which  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt — he 
has  been  powerless  to  stop  the  persecutions.  The 
vicious  national  sentiment  has  been  too  strong  for  him, 
and  the  Jews  of  Roumania  are  still  unemancipated,  and 
are  periodically  persecuted  by  both  the  Government  and 
the  people. 

The  third  journey  in  this  decade  was  to  Russia,  and 
took  place  in  1872.     The  intervening  years  were  spent 


Another  Busy  Decade.  215 

in  labors  in  connection  with  the  home  community.  In 
1870  Sir  Moses  assisted  at  the  consecration  of  the  Cen- 
tral Synagogue  in  London.  In  1871  he  opened  a  sub- 
scription during  a  famine  in  Persia  for  the  relief  of 
the  Jews,  in  whose  political  condition  he  had  formerly 
taken  much  interest.  A  considerable  fund  was  raised, 
and  £17,973  was  distributed  through  Mr.  Alison,  the 
British  Minister  at  Teheran. 

In  1872,  on  the  occasion  of  the  200th  anniversary  of 
the  birth  of  Peter  the  Great,  the  Board  of  Deputies 
adopted  an  addi*ess  of  congratulation  to  the  Czar  Alex- 
ander II.,  and  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  was  deputed  to 
journey  to  St.  Petersburg  to  present  it.  En  route 
every  one  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  proceeding  to  his 
destination  on  account  of  the  cholera,  which  raged  there 
with  great  severity ;  but  impelled  by  a  sense  of  duty  he 
determined  to  persevere  even  if  left  alone.  "  The  jour- 
nals," he  wrote  home,  "  gave  an  alarming  account  of  the 
unsatisfactory  state  of  health  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  it 
being  the  opinion  of  some  of  those  who  accompanied 
me  that  it  would  be  imprudent  on  my  part  to  proceed  any 
further,  I  considered  it  my  duty  to  gather  around  me 
those  who  appeared  to  fear  the  approach  to  the  Russian 
frontier,  counselling  their  return  to  England  (it  being 
well  established  that  persons  who  entertain  the  fear  of 
infection  are  more  liable  to  be  attacked  by  the  epidemic), 
but  after  due  consideration  all  decided  to  resume  the 
journey  with  me." 

On  his  arrival  in  the  Russian  capital  Sir  Moses  pre- 
sented to  the  English  Ambassador  and  M.  de  AVestmann 
the  letters  of  introduction  with  which  he  had  been  fur- 
nished by  Earl  GranviUe  and  Count  de  Brunnow.  By 
the  Russian  Minister  he  was  received  with  marked  kind- 


216  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

ness  and  urbanity.  After  some  conversation,  M.  de 
Westmann  observed :  "  We  were  acquainted  witli  the 
object  of  your  visit  to  our  city  before  your  arrival ; 
the  Emperor  will  receive  you,  and  we  shall  endeavor  to 
render  everything  as  easy  and  agreeable  to  you  as  pos- 
sible. His  Imperial  Majesty  is  at  present  absent  from 
St.  Petersburg  at  the  military  manoeuvres,  but  I  shall 
seek  His  Imperial  Majesty's  orders  regarding  the  day 
and  place  when  and  where  the  Emperor  will  receive 
you."  In  recording  this  conversation  Sir  Moses  wrote : 
"  I  need  scarcely  say  how  grateful  I  felt  to  our 
Heavenly  Father  for  having  thus,  a  few  hours  only 
after  my  arrival  in  St.  Petersburg,  enabled  me  to  re- 
ceive from  the  Russian  Minister  such  kind  and  assuring 
expressions,  and,  deeply  sensible  of  the  goodness  of  the 
Almighty  who  had  succored  and  protected  me  and  my 
companions,  I  prepared  with  gladness  for  the  holy 
Sabbath." 

The  interview  with  the  Czar,  which  took  place  on  the 
following  "Wednesday,  Sir  Moses  thus  describes : 

"  At  the  appointed  hour,  I  proceeded  to  the  Winter 
Palace,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Loewe.  Instead  of  having 
the  fatigue  of  ascending  the  Grand  Staircase,  we  were 
elevated  by  means  of  a  lift  to  the  Grande  Salle  d'Attente 
of  the  Emperor,  into  which  we  were  immediately 
ushered.  There  we  found  His  Excellency  Monsieur  de 
Westmann,  the  Imperial  Lord  Chamberlain,  the  Im- 
perial Grand  Maitre  des  Ceremonies,  and  several  other 
distinguished  personages,  who  entered  into  conversation 
with  me  on  various  subjects  of  importance  to  our  co- 
religionists. After  an  interval  thus  agreeably  passed. 
His  Excellency,  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  was 
summoned  before  the  Czar,  and  soon  afterwards  I  was 


Another  Busy  Decade.  217 

conducted  into  tlie  presence  of  His  Imperial  Majesty,  to 
whom,  in  the  name  of  your  Board  and  its  several  con- 
stituent congregations,  I  presented  the  Address.  His 
Imperial  Majesty,  who  conversed  most  fluently  in  the 
English  language,  received  me  with  the  utmost  grace 
and  kindness ;  he  adverted  to  the  circumstance  of  my 
having  had  the  honor  of  an  audience  with  his  august 
father  in  the  year  1846,  and  expressed  himseK  most 
graciously  on  every  subject  having  reference  to  my 
mission.  His  Imperial  Majesty  also  graciously  received 
Dr.  Loewe.  Nor  can  I  here  omit  to  record  my  grateful 
appreciation  of  His  Imperial  Majesty's  consideration  in 
having  come  from  the  seat  of  the  summer  manoeuvres 
to  the  Winter  Palace — expressly  to  spare  me  fatigue, 
in  consequence  of  my  advanced  age — and  having  there 
received  the  Address  of  which  I  was  the  bearer.  I 
quitted  the  Palace  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  grati- 
tude, for  indeed  I  am  at  a  loss  for  words  in  which 
adequately  to  describe  the  gracious  sentiments  which 
His  Imperial  Majesty,  and  the  members  of  his  Govern- 
ment, evinced  towards  me.  On  my  way  to  the  hotel  I 
was  enthusiastically  greeted  by  hundreds  of  our  brethren 
who  were  awaiting  my  return  from  the  Palace,  and 
whose  faces  were  illumined  by  joy." 

During  his  short  stay  in  St.  Petersburg  Sir  Moses 
was  gratified  to  find  a  remarkable  improvement  in  the 
position  of  the  Jews  since  his  earlier  visit.  He  saw  a 
considerable  number  of  Jews  who  had  been  distin- 
guished by  decorations  of  different  grades  by  the  Em- 
peror, and  conversed  with  Jewish  merchants,  literary 
men,  editors  of  Russian  periodicals,  artisans,  and  j)ersons 
who  had  formerly  served  ia  the  Imperial  army,  all  of 
whom  expressed  satisfaction  with  theii*  position.  He 
10 


218  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

found  Synagogues  in  which  sermons  were  preached  in 
Russian  and  German,  and  obtained  copies  of  "  beautiful 
maps  with  all  the  modern  improvements  in  which  the 
cities,  villages,  mountains,  rivers,  railways,  etc.,  all  ap- 
pear in  Hebrew,  and  several  educational  works  on  his- 
tory, geography,  grammar,  natural  philosophy,  and 
physics,  also  published  in  the  Hebrew  language,  to 
enable  those  who  are  yet  unacquainted  with  the  national 
language  to  advance  their  education  in  all  useful  secular 
subjects."  Summing  up  his  observations  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  Russian  Hebrews,  Sir  Moses  wrote : 

"The  Jews  now  dress  like  any  gentlemen  in  Eng- 
land, France,  or  Germany,  their  schools  are  well  at- 
tended, and  they  are  foremost  in  every  honorable  enter- 
prise. During  my  journey,  I  had  frequent  opportunities 
of  receiving  from  our  brethren  assurances  of  the  rapid 
increase  of  their  Synagogues,  schools,  and  charitable 
institutions ;  and,  as  indicative  of  the  improved  spirit- 
ual and  social  condition  of  our  co-religionists  abroad,  I 
may  notice,  that  amongst  the  many  thousands  of  Jews 
with  whom  I  came  in  contact,  I  observed  the  most 
charitable  and  benevolent  dispositions,  an  insatiable 
thirst  for  knowledge,  a  pure  and  religious  zeal,  and  a 
high  degree  of  prosperity.  Looking  back  to  what  the 
condition  of  our  co-religionists  in  Russia  was  twenty-six 
years  ago,  and  having  regard  to  their  present  position, 
they  have  now  indeed  abundant  reason  to  cherish  grate- 
ful feelings  towards  the  Emperor,  to  whom  their  pros- 
perity is  in  so  great  a  measure  attributable ;  and  if  there 
yet  remain  some  few  restrictions,  the  hope  may  surely 
be  entertained,  that,  with  the  advance  of  secular  educa- 
tion among  them,  these  disabilities  may  be  gradually 
removed." 


Another  Busy  Decade.  219 

A  hope,  unfortunately,  not  destined  to  be  realized. 
Ten  years  later  it  was  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  grief  to 
read  of  popular  persecutions  and  official  intolerance  in 
the  Empire  of  the  Czars,  carried  out  on  as  large  a 
scale  as  during  the  darkest  period  of  the  reign  of 
Nicholas. 

Sir  Moses  Montefiore  was  now  nearly  ninety  years  of 
age,  and  he  began  to  feel  that  the  time  had  arrived 
when  he  might  resign  to  younger  hands  his  office  in 
connection  with  the  Board  of  Deputies.  The  members 
of  the  Board  returned  at  the  General  Election  of  April, 
1874,  met  for  the  first  time  on  the  Tth  May.  Sir  Moses 
was  re-elected  to  the  presidency,  but  declined  the  office 
on  the  ground  of  the  uncertain  state  of  his  health.  The 
Board  urged  him  to  reconsider  his  decision,  and  a 
deputation  from  that  body  having  waited  on  him  at 
Kamsgate,  he  was  at  length  prevailed  upon  to  accede  to 
its  wishes.  Later  in  the  session,  however,  his  colleagues 
were  pained  to  receive  a  letter  again  pressing  his  resig- 
nation both  of  the  presidency  and  of  his  seat.  Earnest 
efforts  were  made  to  induce  him  to  alter  his  determina- 
tion but  without  avail,  and,  bearing  in  mind  his  advanced 
age,  it  was  felt  that  it  would  not  be  right  to  persuade 
him  further  to  retain  an  office  involving  arduous  and 
responsible  duties.  In  parting  with  its  venerated  presi- 
dent, the  Board  expressed  its  high  estimate  of  his  labors 
in  a  series  of  eloquent  resolutions  which,  engrossed  on 
vellum  and  emblazoned,  were  signed  by  every  deputy  and 
presented  to  the  worthy  Baronet.  Sir  Moses  acknowl- 
edged the  resolutions  in  the  following  characteristic 
letter  to  his  nephew,  who  had  been  elected  to  succeed 
him: 


220  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

"Grosvenor  Gate,  Park  Lane, 

"  2Ath  ]Srove7nber,  5635—1874. 

"My  deah  Joseph  Mater  Montefioke, 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  from 
your  hands  of  a  copy  of  resohitions,  beautifully  engrossed 
on  vellum  and  emblazoned,  adopted  by  the  London 
Committee  of  Deputies  of  British  Jews  at  a  meeting 
held  on  the  6th  October,  ultimo,  on  the  occasion  of  my 
resignation  of  the  office  of  President  of  the  Board.  The 
sentiments  conveyed  by  these  resolutions  are  so  highly 
gratifying,  and  the  language  in  which  they  are  couclied 
so  extremely  cordial,  that  I  can  but  very  inadequately 
assure  the  Board  and  yourself  how  profound  an  impres- 
sion they  have  made  on  my  heart.  It  has  been  my  oft- 
recurring  and  much-valued  privilege  to  receive  mani- 
festations of  the  Board's  approbation  and  regard,  but 
never  have  I  experienced  more  perfect  satisfaction  than 
I  derive  from  the  resolutions  now  before  me ;  satisfac- 
tion enhanced,  indeed,  by  the  circumstance  of  their  being 
signed  by  every  Member  of  the  Board.  In  my  retire- 
ment from  the  Board  of  Deputies,  over  which  I  have 
had  the  distinguished  honor  to  preside  for  upwards  of 
thirty  years,  and  with  which  I  have  been  connected  from 
a  very  early  period,  I  carry  with  me  the  unfading  recol- 
lection of  the  sympathy  and  encouragement  it  has  in- 
variably afforded  me  at  those  important  moments  of  my 
life,  when,  moved  by  the  murmur  of  the  oppressed  or 
the  cry  of  the  afflicted,  the  Board  deputed  me  to  plead 
on  its  behalf,  in  distant  lands,  the  cause  of  toleration 
and  humanity.  The  Board  may,  indeed,  discern  the 
best  reward  of  its  active  labors  in  the  amelioration  of 
the  condition  of  our  co-religionists,  that  has  resulted 
from  those  just  and  enlightened  measures,  which,  by 


Another  Busy  Decade.  221 

God's  blessing,  are  attributable  to  its  wise  and  temper- 
ate intervention.  Long  may  the  Members  of  tlie  Com- 
munity of  Israel,  who  rejoice  in  the  benignant  sway  of 
our  Gracious  Sovereign,  find  the  promotion  of  their 
welfare,  and  the  preservation  of  our  Holy  Religion,  the 
objects  of  the  zealous  care  of  the  London  Committee  of 
Deputies  of  British  Jews.  Long  may  our  brethren  in 
foreign  countries  receive  from  the  Board  a  ready  re- 
sponse when  appealed  to  for  aid  or  intercession.  I  am 
sensible  that  I  have  given  but  feeble  expression  to  that 
which,  however,  I  deeply  feel.  But  I  may  rely  on  that 
indulgent  consideration  which  has  been  ever  extended 
to  me.  And  I  feel  assured  that  you  will  kindly  make 
known  to  my  former  esteemed  colleagues,. far  better  than 
any  words  of  mine  can  acquaint  them,  how  heartfelt  is 
my  gratitude  for  the  resolutions  with  which  they  have 
presented  me,  and  how  fervent  is  my  prayer  for  the  long 
life  and  enduring  happiness  of  themselves  and  their 
families,  for  the  lasting  prosperity  of  the  Board  of 
Deputies,  and  for  the  speedy  restoration  of  the  Glory 
of  Zion. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  my  dear  Joseph  Mayer 
Montefiore, 

"  Yours  most  faithfully, 

"Moses  Montefiore." 

The  Board  elected  its  late  President  an  honorary 
member  of  its  body,  and  raised  a  fund  of  over  £12,000 
as  a  testimonial  to  his  high  character  and  public  services. 
On  being  consulted  as  to  the  application  of  this  money, 
Sir  Moses  expressed  a  wish  that  it  should  be  devoted  to 
public  works  for  the  improvement  of  the  condition 
of  the  Jews  in  the  Holy  Land,  in  accordance  with  the 


222  The,  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

suggestions    made   in  his  report    on   tlie    mission   of 
1866. 

In  July,  1874,  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  still  active,  not- 
withstanding his  four-score-and-ten  years,  set  out  on  his 
seventh  journey  to  Palestine — the  fourth  foreign  mis- 
sion in  his  ninth  decade. 


CHAPTEE  XYII. 

"foktt  days'  sojourn  est  the  holt  LAOT)." 

The  Seventh  Journey  to  the  Holy  Land. — Diary  of  the  Journey. — 
"Forty  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  Land." — Arrival  at  Venice. — 
Admiral  Drummond  Warns  Sir  Moses  against  Cholera. — Ancient 
Intercourse  between  the  Jews  of  Venice  and  London. — The  Sab- 
bath at  Sea. — Arrival  at  Port  Said. — Eeception  at  Jaffa. — The 
Jews  of  Jaffa.— On  the  Way  to  Jerusalem. — A  Moonlight  Ride 
from  Babel-Wad. — Enthusiastic  Welcome  at  Jerusalem. — The 
Work  of  the  Forty  Days. — Georgian  Jews  and  Jewish  Heroism. — 
Sir  Moses  Suggests  Sanitary  Improvements  at  Jerusalem. — Re- 
turn Home. — Scheme  for  the  Amelioration  of  the  Condition  of 
the  Palestinian  Jews. — Sir  Moses  Montefiore  and  Jerusalem. 

Althottgh  undertaken  after  his  retirement  from  pub- 
lic life,  this  seventh  journey  to  Palestine  by  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  was  no  mere  holiday  tour.  Its  history  illus- 
trates interestingly  the  energy  and  public  spirit  that 
continued  to  animate  the  warm-hearted  nonagenarian. 
Soon  after  he  was  released  from  his  labors  in  connection 
with  the  Board  of  Deputies,  he  commenced  anew  to 
study  the  problems  connected  with  the  condition  of  the 
Jews  of  the  Holy  Land,  which  for  nearly  fifty  years 
had  baffled  all  attempts  at  solution.  On  the  29th  July, 
1874,  he  addressed  a  Hebrew  circular  letter  to  the  Jew- 


'■''Forty  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  Land^''     223 

ish  congregations,  asking  for  suggestions  as  to  tlie  best 
means  of  impro\dng  their  condition.  The  following  is 
a  translation  of  this  interesting  letter  : 

"  '  I  have  set  the  Lord  always  before  me." 

"  Grosvenok  Gate,  Park  Laite, 

"London,  Wednesday,  15th  of  Ab,  5634. 

"  Peace,  peace  to  the  chosen  of  the  people,  whose  de- 
light is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord ;  my  soul  loves  them 
according  to  their  worth  and  dignity.  May  the  Eternal 
bless  them.  May  their  reward  be  complete  from  the 
Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  and  may  their  eyes  and  ours 
behold  the  glory  of  the  rebuilding  of  Aree-el. 
"  To  the  E.EV.  the  Hakem  Bashi,  and  the  representa- 
tives of  the  several  Hebrew  Congregations  in  the  Holy 
City  of  *  ^  *. 

"  Gentlemen  :  It  has  ever  been  my  earnest  desire,  since 
I  first  had  the  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  state  of  great  poverty  and  distress  that  prevailed 
among  you,  to  ameliorate  your  condition  and  cause  salva- 
tion to  spring  forth  in  the  Holy  Land  by  means  of  indus- 
trial pursuits,  such  as  agriculture,  mechanical  work,  or 
some  suitable  business,  so  as  to  enable  both  the  man  who 
is  not  qualified  to  study,  but  is  fuUy  able  (by  his  physical 
strength)  to  work,  as  well  as  the  student,  who,  prompted 
by  a  desire  to  maintain  himself  by  the  labor  of  his 
hands,  may  be  willing  to  devote  the  day  to  the  work 
necessary  for  the  support  of  his  family,  and  the  night 
to  the  study  of  the  Law  of  God,  to  find  the  means  of 
an  honorable  living.  Already,  in  the  years  5599  and 
5626,  I  entreated  you  to  assist  me  with  your  wise  and 
judicious  counsel,  and  begged*  of  you  to  point  out  to  me 
the  right  path.     I  then  forwarded  to  you  statistical  and 


224  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

agricultural  forms,  to  enable  you  to  record  therein  all 
the  information  required,  and  you  most  cheerfully  com- 
plied with  my  request,  and  gave  me  all  the  particulars 
referring  to  these  subjects.  I,  on  my  part,  made  known 
to  all  my  friends  and  acquaintances  the  information  I 
received  from  you;  but,  unfortunately,  from  various 
unaccountable  causes,  I  met  with  httle  success,  and 
your  condition  remained  the  same  as  before.  Having 
again  this  year  noticed  all  the  troubles  and  hardsliips 
you  had  to  undergo  from  scarcity  of  bread,  and  from 
want  of  means  to  procure  it,  I  thought  I  would  try 
again,  now  for  the  third  time,  to  ascertain  whether  any 
of  your  suggestions  regarding  the  best  mode  of  amelio- 
rating your  condition,  either  by  agriculture  or  by  mecha- 
nical work,  within  or  without  the  house,  or  some  suit- 
able business  pursuits,  if  clearly  and  distinctly  set  forth 
to  our  brethren,  might  not,  under  present  circumstances, 
be  more  favorably  received,  and  induce  them  more  read- 
ily to  hasten  with  their  succor  to  a  most  deserving  class 
of  people,  so  as  to  procure  lasting  comfort  among  you. 
Let  me,  therefore,  entreat  you  to  fully  acquaint  me  with 
your  views  on  this  subject ;  point  out  to  me  what  I  am 
to  do  in  order  to  hasten  thereby  the  cause  of  bring- 
ing salvation  into  the  land.  Consider  well  which  is 
the  proper  path  appearing  most  clearly  to  you  to  pro- 
duce the  remedy  you  stand  in  need  of.  By  doing  so 
yon  will  comply  with  the  wishes  of  your  brethren,  who 
love  and  kiss,  as  it  were,  the  dust  of  the  Holy  Land. 
Be  strong  and  of  good  courage.  Do  not  say,  '  Our 
words  are  of  no  avail,'  but  send  speedily  a  reply  to  him 
who  holds  you  in  great  esteem,  and  prays  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  people. 

"  Moses  Montefiore." 


^^Forty  Days'  Scjoum  m  the  Holy  Lcmd"     225 

The  replies  received  by  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  were 
presented  by  him  to  the  Palestine  Committee  of  the 
Board  of  Deputies.  They  expressed  a  willingness  to 
work,  and  suggested  large  purchases  of  land  for  the 
foundation  of  agricultural  colonies.  The  Board  did  not 
accede  to  the  proposals  of  Sir  Moses'  correspondents, 
and  some  of  the  members  seemed  to  be  of  the  opinion 
that  the  Jews  of  the  Holy  Land  were  not  the  honest 
and  willing  people  that  Sir  Moses  believed  them  to  be. 
Objections  were  especially  urged  against  the  system 
that  prevailed  in  Palestine  of  maintaining  by  the  bounty 
of  the  foreign  communities  such  Jews  as  might  elect  to 
pass  their  time  in  religious  exercises.  These  opinions 
being  communicated  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  he  re- 
solved once  more  to  proceed  to  Palestine  to  see  for 
himself  whether  he  had  been  deceived  in  the  estimate 
he  had  formed  of  his  co-religionists  in  that  hallowed 
region. 

This  journey  Sir  Moses  has  described  in  a  diary,  pri- 
vately circulated,  under  the  title  of  "  Forty  Days'  So- 
journ in  the  Holy  Land."  It  is  an  interesting  pendant 
to  the  journals  of  the  earlier  missions  written  by  his 
lamented  wife.  The  same  rehgious  spirit  serenely  il- 
lumines its  pages,  and,  in  the  course  of  its  unaffected 
chronicle,  many  an  insight  is  afforded  into  the  workings 
of  a  character  the  mainspring  of  which  is  reliance  on 
the  eternal  bounty  of  God. 

Having  offered  up  his  prayers  "in  the  mausoleum 
of  her  who,  like  a  guardian  angel,  so  often  sustained 
me  on  my  jouraeys  with  her  loving  affection  and  judi- 
cious counsel,"  he  left  East  Cliff  on  the  15th  June.  By 
the  advice  of  his  physician  he  only  travelled  by  short 
stages,  but  this  restriction  he  utilized,  to  enable  him  to 
10* 


226  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

commimicate  witli  the  Jewish  congregations  on  his  route, 
with  a  view  of  ascertaining  tlieir  opinions  regarding  the 
Jews  of  Jerusalem. 

On  arriving  at  Yenice  he  was  met  by  Admiral  Sir 
James  Drummond,  to  whom  he  presented  a  letter  of 
introduction  with  which  he  had  been  furnished  by  the 
British  Government.  The  Admiral  assured  him  of  his 
desire  to  do  anything  he  might  require  to  facilitate  his 
journey,  but  informed  him  that  his  old  enemy  the  chol- 
era had  broken  out  at  Damascus,  and  that  the  spread  of 
the  epidemic  along  the  coast  was  apprehended.  Sir 
Moses  writes : 

"  This  unexpected  news  at  first  somewhat  startled  me, 
for  I  well  knew  the  danger  to  which  we  should  be  ex- 
posed in  a  hot  climate,  in  the  most  unhealthy  season  ; 
but  I  soon  recovered  my  former  resolution.  It  ap- 
peared to  me  that  I  had  a  certain  duty  to  perform — a 
duty  owing  to  our  religion,  to  our  beloved  brethren  in 
the  Holy  Land;  nothing,  therefore,  I  made  up  my 
mind,  should  prevent  me  proceeding  on  my  journey. 
I  communicated  my  resolution  to  the  Admiral,  who 
kindly  expressed  his  hope  for  my  safe  return.  Return- 
ing to  the  hotel,  I  heard  that  the  sad  news  of  the  chol- 
era being  in  Syria,  and  the  necessity  of  remaining  in 
quarantine  on  leaving  that  country,  had  also  reached 
my  Gom/pagnons  de  voyage,  and  they  all  entreated  me 
to  give  up  the  idea  of  going  to  the  Holy  Land ;  but  I 
would  not  yield ;  indeed,  with  every  persuasive  word  of 
theirs  to  make  me  return,  my  resolution  became  stronger 
and  stronger  to  proceed." 

The  Jews  of  Yenice  received  Sir  Moses  with  enthu- 
siasm. A  service  in  his  honor  was  held  in  the  Syna- 
gogue ;  and  so  numerous  was  the  attendance,  that  the 


'"''Forty  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  Land^     227 

whole  square  around  the  sacred  edifice,  and  the  adjoin- 
ing streets,  were  filled  with  those  who  could  not  obtain 
seats.  On  leaving  the  Synagogue  and  stepping  into  his 
gondola,  a  choir  which  hned  the  street  chanted  the 
prayer  of  the  congregation  for  his  safe  journey.  Dur- 
ing his  stay,  Signor  Soave,  a  Jewish  professor,  brought 
under  his  notice  an  interesting  document  which  had 
been  found  in  the  archives  of  the  Venetian  congrega- 
tion. This  was  a  letter  addressed  to  the  treasurer  of 
the  Jewish  association  called  the  "Caisse  for  the  Re- 
demption of  Captives,"  by  the  Portuguese  congrega- 
tion of  London,  in  May,  1705.  The  writer  of  the  letter, 
Mr.  Mosse  de  Medina,  Warden  of  the  English  congre- 
gation, made  a  remittance  of  60  ducados  de  banco  to- 
wards the  redemption  of  three  Hebrew  slaves,  brought 
to  Yenice  in  a  Maltese  vessel.  On  this  Sir  Moses  point- 
edly remarks : 

"  The  sympathy  which  Hebrew  communities  have  at 
all  times  evinced  towards  their  suffering  brethren  has 
always  been  proverbial ;  it  is  one  of  the  noblest  traits 
in  the  character  of  Israel,  and  we  have  every  reason  to 
hope  that  our  communities  will  continue  to  retain  that 
characteristic,  especially  when  it  concerns  the  aid  of 
those  who  sacrifice  all  their  worldly  interest  to  the 
service  of  God,  and  the  glorification  of  our  holy  reli- 
gion." 

After  a  short  visit  to  Alexandria  Sir  Moses  embarked 
on  the  Austrian  steamer  Ettore  for  Jaffa.  The  day  after 
his  departure  was  the  Sabbath,  and  he  did  not  fail  to 
celebrate  the  holy  day  with  all  the  minutiae  prescribed 
by  the  Jewish  ritual.     He  tells  us: 

"  That  day  has  always  been  a  particular  object  of  de- 
light to  me.     By  the  kindness  and  civility  of  the  people 


228  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

on  board  I  was  never  interrupted  in  any  way  in  the  per- 
formance of  my  religious  duties.  Every  Friday,  as  the 
Sabbath  was  about  setting  in,  I  could  light  my  Sabbath- 
lamp,  which  I  always  carried  with  me,  and  I  often  had 
the  gratification  of  seeing  the  seven  lights  (emblems  of 
the  six  days  of  creation,  and  the  seventh  day  of  rest) 
burn  as  late  as  midnight,  undisturbed  by  the  motion  of 
the  vessel,  even  when  going  at  the  rate  of  ten  to  eleven 
knots  an  hour.  We  recited  our  prayers  and  '  Kidoosh,' 
the  blessings  of  which  were  responded  to  by  the  sincere 
'  Amen  '  of  those  who  joined  me  in  prayer,  and  enjoyed 
our  Sabbath  meal.  On  the  Sabbath  morning  I  had 
always  the  satisfaction  of  hearing,  after  the  usual  prayer, 
one  of  our  Commentaries  on  the  portion  of  the  week 
expounded  to  me  by  Dr.  Loewe,  and  the  rest  of  the  day 
passed  in  pleasing  conversation  on  all  that  concerns  our 
brethren  in  the  Holy  Land.  On  board  of  the  Ettore, 
that  happiness  became  greatly  enhanced  by  the  contem- 
plation of  the  short  distance  which  now  only  separated 
me  from  the  hallowed  goal  I  had  in  view." 

A  characteristic  and  graphic  passage  describes  the 
night  before  the  arrival  in  the  Holy  Land : 

"Myriads  of  celestial  luminaries,  each  of  them  as 
large  and  bright  almost  as  any  of  the  radiant  planets 
in  the  Western  horizon,  were  now  emitting  their  silvery 
rays  of  light  in  the  spangled  canopy  over  us.  Sure  and 
steady  our  ship  steered  towards  the  coast  of  the  land  so 
dearly  beloved,  summoning  all  to  sleep,  but  few  of  the 
passengers  retired  that  night.  Every  one  of  them  ap- 
peared to  be  in  meditation.  It  was  silent  all  around  us 
— silent,  so  that  the  palpitation  of  the  heart  might 
almost  be  heard.  It  was,  as  if  every  one  had  the  words 
on  his  lips,  '  Ah,  when  will  our  eyes  be  gladdened  by 


'■'•Forty  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  LandP     229 

the  first  glance  of  the  Holy  Land  ?  When  shall  we  be 
able  to  set  foot  on  the  spot  which  was  the  long-wished- 
for  goal  of  our  meditations?'  Such  were  that  night 
the  feelings  of  every  Gentile  passenger  on  board.  And 
what  other  thoughts,  I  ask,  could  have  engrossed  the 
mind  of  an  Israelite  ?  The  words  of  R.  Yehooda 
Halevi,  which  he  uttered  when  entering  the  gates  of 
Jerusalem,  now  came  into  my  mind  :  '  The  kingdoms 
of  idolatry  will  all  change  and  disappear  ;  thy  glory 
alone,  O  Zion,  will  last  forever  ;  for  the  Eternal  has 
chosen  thee  for  His  abode.  Happy  the  man  who  is  now 
waiting  in  confiding  hope  to  behold  the  rising  glory  of 
Thy  light.'  " 

At  Jaffa,  Sir  Moses  was  received  by  the  authorities 
with  the  usual  ceremonies.  As  he  stepped  from  his 
boat  a  detachment  of  soldiers  drawn  up  in  two  lines, 
commanded  by  the  Kaimekara,  presented  arms,  and  a 
large  concourse  of  people  cheered  enthusiastically. 
Deputations  read  addresses  of  welcome  from  the  con- 
gregations of  Jerusalem,  Jaffa,  and  Hebron,  and  the 
British  Yice-Consul  invited  him  to  accept  the  accom- 
modation of  his  country  residence,  situated  a  little  way 
outside  the  town  on  the  Jerusalem  road.  Staying  here 
for  a  few  days.  Sir  Moses  examined  minutely  the  garden 
he  had  established  in  the  neighborhood  some  years  be- 
fore. He  found  that  it  contained  900  fruit-trees,  and 
that  it  required  some  repairs,  but  he  refused  to  supply 
a  steam-engine  to  work  the  water-wheel  in  place  of  the 
ordinary  mules,  because  of  the  cost  of  fuel  and  the 
absence  of  skilled  mechanics.  In  order  to  test  the 
willingness  of  the  poor  to  work  he  offered  a  small  sum 
of  money — designedly  very  trivial — to  have  the  large  cis- 
tern on  the  estate  filled,  and  was  delighted  to  watch  the 


230  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

alacrity  with  which  a  crowd  turned  out  to  work  the 
wheel  while  they  sang  in  chorus  Psalm  cxxviii.,  in 
which  occurs  the  verse,  "  Thou  shalt  eat  the  labor  of 
thine  hands;  hajDpy  shalt  thou  be  and  it  shall  be  well 
with  thee."  He  also  had  elaborate  statistical  accounts 
of  the  Jaffa  community  prepared,  and  received  depu- 
tations who  convinced  him  that  the  charges  which  had 
been  brought  against  the  Jews  were  without  founda- 
tion. 

On  the  way  to  Jerusalem  he  observed  many  signs  of 
improvement  since  his  last  visit,  and  was  particularly 
pleased  to  note  that  several  of  the  fields  were  cultivated 
by  Jews.  His  diary  gives  a  dramatic  account  of  a  moon- 
light ride  from  Bab-el- Wad : 

"  We  waited  for  the  rising  of  the  moon,  and  at  twenty 
minutes  past  eleven  o'clock  started  for  Jerusalem.  Those 
were  exciting  moments  which  presented  themselves  to 
my  mind  now  and  then,  as  we  ascended  and  descended 
the  hills  and  dales  on  the  road  ;  the  moon  throwing  her 
long  and  dark  shadow  when  behind  a  rock.  They  re- 
called to  memory  how  much  exposed  the  traveller  was 
in  former  years  to  the  attacks  of  a  Bedouin,  or  some 
feudal  lord.  !N"ow,  thank  God,  thanks  to  the  protection 
of  the  Turkish  Government,  we  do  not  hear  of  such  out- 
rages on  peaceable  pilgrims.  Just  as  I  concluded  these 
meditations  two  Bedouins  in  full  speed  dashed  along 
from  behind  some  hidden  rock,  and  directed  their  course 
right  up  to  our  carriage.  '  Good  heaven,'  I  thought, 
'  we  ought  not  to  be  too  hasty  here  in  bestowing  praises 
on  the  protection  of  the  police.  What  in  the  world  will 
they  do  with  us  ? '  But  Dr.  Loewe,  who  was  with  me  in 
the  carriage,  suddenly  called  out  as  loud  as  he  possibly 
could,  '  Shalom  Aleykhem,  Rabbi  B.  S.,  Shalom  Aleyk- 


''^ Forty  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  LandP      231 

ham,  Kabbi  L.  S.,'  and  turning  round  to  nie,  lie  said, 
'These  are  not  Bedouins,  though  they  are  dressed  exactly 
like  them,  and  gallop  along  the  hills  like  the  sons  of  the 
desert,  but  they  are  simply  our  own  brethren  from  Jeru- 
salem, who,  I  have  no  doubt,  came  to  ascertain  the  exact 
time  of  your  intended  entry  into  Jerusalem,  to  give 
timely  notice  to  the  people  to  come  out  to  meet  you  ? ' 
And  so  it  was.  A  minute  afterwards  they  pulled  up  the 
reins  of  their  fiery  chargers,  and  stood  before  us.  'A 
happy  and  blessed  week  to  you.  Dr.  Loewe,'  they 
shouted  ;  '  where  is  Sir  Moses  ?  how  is  he  ?  when  will 
he  enter  Jerusalem  ? '  As  I  bent  my  head  forward  they 
reverentially  saluted  me,  and  stated  to  me  the  object  of 
their  coming ;  but  as  it  was  my  intention  purposely  to 
avoid  giving  any  unnecessary  inconvenience  to  my 
Jerusalem  friends,  I  declined  letting  them  know  the 
exact  hour.  They  again  saluted,  galloped  off,  and  soon 
disappeared.  I  was  told  that  they  had  left  Jerusalem 
after  Habdalah,  and  now  intended  being  again  in  the 
Holy  City  early  in  the  morning.  If  there  be  many  such 
horsemen  in  the  Holy  Land  like  these  two  supposed 
Bedouins,  they  certainly  ought  not  in  justice  to  be  re- 
garded as  descendants  from  sickly  parents,  as  some  per- 
sons supposed." 

Notwithstanding  that  he  had  given  no  intimation  of 
the  time  of  his  intended  entry  into  Jerusalem,  he  was 
received  with  great  rejoicings.  Venerable  Rabbis  sa- 
luted him  at  the  gates ;  crowds  assembled  in  the  streets 
and  enthusiastically  shouted  their  welcome,  and  even 
the  roofs  of  the  houses  were  thronged  with  gayly  attired 
women  and  children,  who  showered  upon  him  copies  of 
poems  especially  composed  in  his  honor.  The  British 
Consul  waited  upon  him,  and  the  Governor  of  the  city 


232  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  MonUfiore. 

sent  Ins  brother  to  express  his  regret  that  no  ofiBcial 
reception  had  been  arranged  in  consequence  of  the  sud- 
denness of  his  arrivah 

During  the  forty  days  he  spent  in  the  Holy  City  Sir 
Moses  made  the  most  elaborate  inquiries  into  the  condi- 
tion of  the  Jewish  population,  and  thoroughly  satisfied 
himself  that  they  were  as  worthy  of  his  confidence  and 
support  as  ever.  He  visited  the  Synagogues,  cross- 
questioned  the  managers  of  the  various  charities,  and 
had  all  the  schools  examined  in  secular  and  religious 
subjects  by  Dr.  Loewe.  The  results  were  very  satisfac- 
tory. Among  the  congregations  he  visited  was  a  new 
one  composed  of  Georgian  Jews,  who  had  settled  in  the 
Holy  Land  by  special  permission  of  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment. "Some  of  them,"  he  writes,  "had  decorations  on 
their  breast.  One  of  the  name  of  Eliahu  ben  Israel  had 
three ;  he  received  one  from  the  late  Emperor  Nicholas, 
and  two  from  the  present  Emperor  Alexander.  When 
I  inquired  of  their  chief.  Hakim  Eliahu  ben  Jacob,  how 
they  came  by  these  special  marks  of  distinction,  he  told 
me  that,  during  the  war  of  the  Russians  with  the  Circas- 
sians, the  Jewish  soldiers  fought  most  bravely  ;  and  that 
when  all  the  people  in  the  town  of  Kutais  deserted  the 
place,  they,  the  Jews,  remained,  and  with  their  blood 
defended  the  treasury  of  the  Russian  Government.  The 
soldier  with  the  three  decorations  said  that  he  received 
on  each  occasion  when  those  decorations  had  been  given 
to  him  an  embrace  from  the  Emperor." 

Receiving  distressing  accounts  of  the  spread  of 
cholera.  Sir  Moses  made  an  attempt  to  permanently 
improve  the  sanitary  condition  of  Jerusalem.  He 
ordered  several  houses  to  be  whitewashed,  a  number  of 
streets  to  be  cleansed,  and  the  refuse  to  be  removed 


''^Forttj  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  Landr     233 

outside  the  city.  He  also  made  representations  to  the 
authorities  on  the  subject  of  clearing  the  pool  of 
Bethesda,  into  which  the  sewage  of  the  town  was  con- 
ducted, recommending  that  it  should  be  filled  with  pure 
water,  and  that  special  pools  should  be  dug  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  refuse  of  the  town. 

Before  his  departure  he  was  visited  by  the  Sheik  of 
the  Mosque  of  Omar,  who  presented  him  with  Arabic 
and  Cufic  inscriptions ;  a  deputation  of  Armenian 
priests,  who  expressed  the  friendly  sentiments  of  the 
Patriarch ;  a  sheik  of  the  Haram,  who  offered  him  a 
souvenir  in  the  shape  of  some  curious  native  flasks  for 
oil  lamps,  and  a  Jewish  emissary  from  Arabia  Felix, 
who  was  on  his  way  to  petition  the  Turkish  Government 
to  free  his  brethren  from  disabilities.  On  the  8tli 
August  his  stay  terminated,  and  he  again  bade  farewell 
to  Jerusalem.  Thirty-two  days  later  he  was  offering  up 
his  grateful  prayers  in  his  Synagogue  at  Ramsgate. 

The  opinions  and  propositions  suggested  by  this  pil- 
grimage, Sir  Moses  thus  sets  forth  at  the  end  of  his 
journal : 

"  The  great  regard  which  I  always  entertained  towards 
our  brethren  in  the  Holy  Land  has  now  become,  if  pos- 
sible, doubly  increased,  so  that  if  you  were  to  ask  me, 
'  Are  they  worthy  and  deserving  of  assistance  ? '  I 
would  reply,  '  Most  decidedly.'  '  Are  they  willing  and 
capable  of  work  ? '  '  Undoubtedly.'  '  Are  theu*  mental 
powers  of  a  satisfactory  nature? '  '  Certainly.'  '  Ought 
we,  as  Israelites,  in  particular,  to  render  them  support  ? ' 
'  Learn,'  I  would  say,  '  if  your  own  sacred  Scriptures 
do  not  satisfy  you,  from  non-Israelites  what  degree  of 
support  those  are  entitled  to  who  consecrate  their  lives 
to  the  worship  of  God,     Go  and  cast  a  glance  upon  the 


234  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

numerous  munificent  endowments ;  upon  the  magnificent 
institutions ;  upon  the  annual  contributions,  not  only  in 
Jerusalem,  but  in  every  part  of  the  world  ;  not  only  by 
individuals,  but  by  almost  every  mighty  ruler  on  earth. 
Notice  the  war  which  had  broken  out  within  our  recol- 
lection respecting  a  privilege  of  repairing  a  house  of 
devotion,  all  for  the  sole  object  to  support  religion,  and 
are  we  Israelites  to  stand  back  and  say,  "  We  are  all  prac- 
tical men ;  let  everybody  in  Jerusalem  go  and  work.  "We 
do  not  want  a  set  of  indolent  people  who,  by  poring  over 
books,  teaching  the  word  of  God,  think  they  are  per- 
forming their  duties  in  life,  and  wait  for  our  support." 
The  Jews  in  Jerusalem,  in  every  part  of  the  Holy  Land, 
I  tell  you,  do  work ;  are  more  industrious  even  than 
many  men  in  Europe,  otherwise  none  of  them  would 
remain  alive ;  but,  when  the  work  does  not  sufiiciently 
pay ;  when  there  is  no  market  for  the  produce  of  the 
land;  when  famine,  cholera,  and  other  misfortunes 
befall  the  inhabitants,  we  Israelites,  unto  whom  God 
revealed  Himself  on  Sinai,  more  than  any  other  nation, 
must  step  forward  and  render  them  help — raise  them 
from  their  state  of  distress.'  If  you  put  the  question  to 
me,  saying  thus :  '  Wow  we  are  willing  to  contribute 
towards  a  fund  intended  to  render  them  such  assistance 
as  they  may  require ;  we  are  ready  to  make  even  sacri- 
fices of  our  own  means  if  necessary ;  what  scheme  do 
you  propose  as  best  adapted  to  carry  out  the  object  in 
view  ? '  I  would  reply  :  '  Carry  out  simply  what  they 
themselves  have  suggested ;  but  begin,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, with  the  building  of  houses  in  Jerusalem.  Select 
land  outside  the  city ;  raise,  in  the  form  of  a  large  square 
or  crescent,  a  number  of  suitable  houses,  with  European 
improvements  ;  have  in  the  centre  of  the  square  oi*  cres- 


^''Forty  Days'  Sojourn  in  the  Holy  Land.''''     235 

cent  a  synagogiie,'a  college,  and  a  public  batli.  Let  each 
house  have  in  front  a  plot  of  ground  large  enough  to 
cultivate  olive-trees,  the  vine,  and  necessary  vegetables, 
so  as  to  give  the  occupiers  of  the  houses  a  taste  for 
agriculture.  The  houses  ought  to  pay  a  moderate 
rental,  by  the  amount  of  which,  after  securing  the  sum 
required  for  the  payment  of  a  clerk  and  overseer,  and 
the  repair  of  the  houses,  there  should  be  established  a 
Loan  Society  on  safe  principles,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
poor  working  class,  the  trader,  the  agriculturist,  or  any 
poor  deserving  man.  Two  per  cent,  should  be  charged 
on  each  loan,  so  as  to  cover  thereby  the  expenses  neces- 
sary for  a  special  clerk,  and  the  rent  of  an  appropriate 
house.  If  the  amount  of  your  funds  be  sufficient,  build 
houses  in  Safed,  Tiberias,  and  Hebron,  on  the  same 
plan ;  establish,  by  the  rental  also,  Loan  Societies  on 
similar  principles  of  security.  And  should  you  further 
prosper,  and  have  £30,000  or  £50,000  to  dispose  of,  you 
will,  without  difficulty,  be  able  to  purchase  as  much  land 
as  you  would  like  in  the  vicinity  of  Safed,  Pekeein, 
Tiberias,  Hebron,  Jerusalem,  Jaffa,  and  Khaifa,  and  you 
will  find  in  all  those  places  a  number  of  persons  who 
would  be  most  willing  to  follow  agricultural  pursuits. 
There  are,  according  to  the  applications  which  have  been 
printed,  more  than  170  persons  ready  in  Safed  and 
Tiberias  alone;  Pekeein  and  Khaifa  also  offer  a  good 
number:  but  there  are,  no  doubt,  persons,  even  in 
Jerusalem,  who  are  willing  to  cultivate  land.'  And  if 
now  you  address  me,  saying,  '  "Which  would  be  the 
proper  time  to  commence  the  work,  supposing  we  were 
ready  to  be  guided  by  your  counsel  ? '  my  reply  then 
would  be,  '  Commence  at  once  ;  begin  the  work  this 
day,  if  you  can.     Our  brethren   throughout  Europo, 


236  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejiore. 

Persia,  and  Turkey  have  been  roused  by  your  promises, 
which  have  been  made  known  to  them  in  the  most 
hopeful  terms  by  Hebrew,  German,  French,  Italian, 
and  English  periodicals.  You  led  them  to  cherish  the 
hope  that  you  would  surely  make  no  delay  in  proceeding 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  Sons  of  Zion.  They 
now  cry  out,  "  Here  we  are ;  give  us  land,  give  us  work : 
you  promised  to  do  so.  We  are  willing,  for  the  sake 
of  our  love  to  Jerusalem,  to  undertake  the  execution  of 
the  most  laborious  tasks ; "  but  the  Representatives  of 
the  Community  have  no  answer  to  give  :  they  simply, 
with  a  cast-down  countenance,  say,  in  the  words  of  King 
Solomon,  "Clouds  and  wind  without  rain."  Tou  are 
then,  I  repeat,  in  sacred  duty  bound  not  to  disappoint 
them  any  longer.  Begin  the  hallowed  task  at  once,  and 
He  who  takes  delight  in  Zion  will  establish  the  work 
upon  you.'  " 

These  suggestions  have  of  late  years  been  energetically 
acted  upon  by  the  Montefiore  Testimonial  Committee. 
Agricultural  colonies  have  been  assisted,  and,  by  means 
of  loans  to  building  societies,  the  beo:innings  of  a  new  and 
beautiful  city  outside  the  Jaffa  gate  of  Jerusalem  have 
been  made.  The  result  to-day  of  Sir  Moses  Monteiiore's 
persistent  efforts  to  erect  improved  dwellings  for  the 
Jews  of  Palestine  is,  that  the  Holy  City  now  possesses 
a  western  suburb  of  six  hundred  houses,  inhabited  by 
nearly  4000  Israelites,  many  of  whom  own  the  freeholds 
of  their  dwellings. 

This  was  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  last  foreign  journey. 
There  is  a  peculiar  fitness  in  the  circumstance  that  he 
should  have  terminated  his  public  career  in  the  very 
city  where  nearly  half  a  century  before  he  had  gathered 
the  great  inspiration  of  his  life.     The  supporters  on  his 


Conclusion.  237 

coat-of-arras  hold  aloft  banners  on  which  the  word 
"  Jerusalem"  is  inscribed  in  Hebrew  characters,  and 
"  Jerusalem"  has  been  the  watchword  of  his  life — not 
merely  in  the  restricted  sense  of  the  actual  city  and  its 
inhabitants,  but  in  the  wider  significance  of  the  word  as 
the  countersign  of  Hebrew  tradition  and  the  rallying 
cry  of  the  Humanitarian  Ideal  of  Judaism.  Jerusalem 
is  more  tlian  a  monument  of  the  ancient  glory  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God ;  it  is  the  sanctuary  of  the  sublime 
aspiration  which  every  Israelite  utters  daily,  '•  that  the 
world  may  be  established  under  the  rule  of  the 
Almighty,  all  the  children  of  flesh  invoke  His  name, 
and  all  the  wicked  of  the  earth  turn  towards  Him." 
The  inner  workings  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore's  life  are 
laid  bare  when  we  find  that  this  is  the  key-note  to  which 
it  has  been  attuned. 


CHAPTER  XYIII. 


CONCLUSION. 


An  age  that  melts  with  unperceived  decay, 
And  glides  in  modest  innocence  away; 
Whose  peaceful  Day  benevolence  endears, 
Whose  Night  congratulating  conscience  cheers; 
The  general  favorite  as  the  general  friend : 
Such  age  there  is  and  who  shall  wish  it  end? 

Dk.  John'son,  Vanity  of  Rinnan  Wishes. 

Since  his  return  from  Jerusalem  in  1875  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  has  lived  in  semi-retirement  at  his  charming 
country-seat  near  Ramsgate.  ^Notwithstanding  his  great 
age  his  heart  and  mind  remain  as  actively  devoted  to 


238  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montejiore. 

works  of  benevolence  as  in  tlie  prime  of  liis  manhood. 
He  still  takes  a  livel}''  interest  in  public  affairs,  and,  with 
the  help  of  an  English  amanuensis  and  a  foreign  secre- 
tary, carries  on  a  voluminous  correspondence  in  Hebrew 
and  modern  languages  for  the  furtherance  of  the  philan- 
thropic schemes  to  which  he  has  devoted  his  life. 

On  more  than  one  occasion  during  the  last  few  years 
he  has  acti\ely  concerned  himself  in  public  questions. 
In  the  Russo-Turkish  war,  six  years  ago — involving,  as 
it  did,  the  fate  of  a  large  Jewish  population — he  evinced 
the  deepest  interest,  and  he  took  no  pains  to  hide  on 
which  side  his  sympathies  were  engaged.  As  soon  as 
the  Turkish  Relief  Fund  was  started  he  joined  the  Com- 
mittee, and  at  the  same  time  addressed  a  sj^mpathetic 
letter  to  Musurus  Pasha,  the  Turkish  Ambassador  in 
England.  The  following  is  the  text  of  this  character- 
istic epistle :  * 

"East  Cliff  Lodge,  Ramsgate,  Jan.  1,  1877. 
"  YouE  Excellency  : 

"  You  will,  I  trust,  give  credit  to  my  words  when  I 
assure  you  that  I  hail  the  opportunity  now  presented  to 
me  to  evince  my  gratitude  to  the  Turkish  Government 
for  the  kind  and  effective  protection  they  have  at  all 
times  extended  to  my  co-religionists;  and  I  shall  never 
forget  the  glorious  Hatti-Sherif  given  to  the  Jews  in 
the  year  1840  by  his  late  Imperial  Majesty,  Abdul 
Medjid,  assuring  to  the  Jews  the  same  rights  and  privi- 
leges as  those  enjoyed  by  all  the  other  subjects  of  the 
Turkish  Empire.  I  earnestly  hope  that  peace  will  soon 
be  restored  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  Sultan's 
dominions,  and  that  the  Government  of  his  Imperial 

*  Jewish  Warld,  Jan.  13,  1877. 


Conclusion.  239 

Majesty  will  have  every  opportunity  to  show  the  world 
that  nothing  could  afford  His  Majesty  greater  satisfac- 
tion and  delight  than  to  see  all  his  subjects,  without  any 
distinction  of  creed,  in  the  words  of  Holy  Writ, '  sitting 
under  his  vine  and  his  fig-tree,'  in  full  enjoyment  of  the 
blessings  our  Heavenly  Father  bestows  on  them. 

"  May  I  beg  your  Excellency  to  favor  me  by  adding 
the  enclosed  two  checks  to  the  fund  now  being  raised 
for  the  relief  of  the  wounded  Turkish  soldiers,  one 
check  for  £50  in  my  own  name,  and  the  other  for  a 
similar  amount  of  £50  in  memory  of  my  lamented  wife, 
Judith,  Lady  Montefiore. 

"  With  the  most  sincere  assurance  of  my  high  esteem, 
respect,  and  regard,  I  remain, 

"Your  Excellency's  very  obedient  humble  servant, 

"Moses  Montefioke." 

Sir  Moses  also  seconded  with  much  energy  the  efforts 
of  the  Baroness  Burdett  Coutts  in  connection  with  the 
Turkish  Compassionate  Fund,  and  even  offered  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  East  in  the  interests  of  the  Fund.  The 
circumstance  was  characteristic  of  the  warm-hearted 
philanthropist.  The  Baroness  having  received  an  in- 
timation that  a  large  number  of  Jews  were  among  the 
sufferers  from  the  war,  immediately  communicated  the 
fact  to  Sir  Moses,  who  promptly  answered  by  telegram 
as  follows : 

"  Greatly  obliged  for  telegram.  Deeply  sympathize 
with  sufferers.  Have  ah-eady  forwarded  my  mite  to 
Roumania,  Turkey,  and  Holland,  but  will  have  much 
pleasure  in  sending  you  by  to-day's  post  £100  for  the 
Committee  in  Constantinople,  over  which  Mr.  Layard 
presides,  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  people  with- 


240  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

out  distinction  of  creed.  Should  my  presence  in  Con- 
stantinople or  Adrian ople  be  deemed  in  any  way  bene- 
ficial to  the  sufferers,  I  shall  be  ready  to  proceed  there 
without  delay." 

In  communicating  this  telegram  to  the  papers  the 
Baroness  wrote,  "  I  cannot  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of 
enclosing  you  my  revered  and  chivalrous  friend's  reply, 
alike  as  characteristic  of  his  unwearying  energy  of  mind 
and  warmth  of  heart." 

When  the  war  was  over  and  the  Plenipotentiaries  of 
the  Powers  met  at  Berlin  to  decide  upon  terms  of 
peace,  no  one  watched  the  newspaper  records  of  their 
labors  more  anxiously  than  the  venerable  champion  of 
Israel.  He  corresponded  with  his  co-religionist.  Baron 
von  Bleichroder,  on  the  subject  of  bringing  the  claims 
of  the  Jews  of  Eastern  Europe  before  the  Congress, 
and  made  many  private  representations  in  other  eminent 
quarters.  The  Congress  accepted  the  principle  of  reli- 
gious equality  for  the  Danubian  Principalities,  and  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore,  on  being  apprised  of  the  fact,  tele- 
graphed his  congratulations  to  Baron  von  Bleichroder. 
"Most  gratified,"  he  wrote,  "with  the  happy  intelli- 
gence contained  in  your  telegram,  for  which  I  heartily 
thank  you.  I  beg  to  congratulate  you  on  the  success  of 
your  unceasing  efforts.  Praise  to  the  God  of  Israel  for 
his  mercy  and  goodness  to  his  people."  To  Lord  Bea- 
consfield  and  Lord  Salisbury  he  returned  his  personal 
thanks  immediately  on  their  arrival  in  London.  He 
made  a  special  journey  to  the  metropolis  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  when  the  Plenipotentiaries  arrived  at  Char- 
ing Cross  railway  station  he  was  the  first  to  greet  them. 

Nor  are  these  the  only  instances  of  his  public  activity 
during  his  tenth  decade.     In  1880  he  raised  a  Relief 


Conclusion.  241 

Fund  for  the  Jews  of  Persia,  who  liad  suffered  severely 
from  famine,  and  in  the  following  year  promoted  a 
similar  fund  for  the  starving  population  of  Armenia 
and  Kurdistan.  On  the  occasion  of  the  coronation  of 
the  Czar  Alexander  III.,  he  addressed  a  letter  of  con- 
gratulation to  the  new  monarch,  in  which  he  did  not 
forget  to  plead  earnestly  for  his  brethren  ;  and.  during 
the  recent  trial  at  Nyereghyaza  he  circulated  papers 
refuting  the  Blood  Accusation,  among  the  members  of 
the  Hungarian  Parliament,  and  also  sent  assistance  to 
the  accused. 

The  most  striking  feature  in  the  character  of  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  is  his  profound  religiousness — a  reK- 
giousness  born  and  nourished  of  Hebrew  tradition,  sus- 
taining itself  by  a  scrupulous  observance  of  the  minute 
ceremonial  of  Eabbinism,  and  expressing  itself  in  a  con- 
scientious practice  of  its  humanitarian  precepts.  It  is 
related  that  a  Christian  gentleman  once  asked  him,  "  If 
the  commandments  of  Judaism  and  Christianity  are  the 
same,  wherein  lies  the  difference?"  "We  obey  the 
commandments,"  was  his  felicitous  answer.  This  de- 
scription of  Judaism  may  not  accord  with  the  character 
of  every  Jew,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  applica- 
bility to  that  of  Moses  Montefiore.  Contemporary  ortho- 
dox Judaism  claims  him  as  its  brightest  ornament,  and 
with  justice ;  for  he,  more  than  any  other  man,  has  illus- 
trated by  his  life-conduct  the  noblest  possibilities  of  its 
teachings. 

Until  four  years  ago  lie  was  regular  in  his  attendance 
at  the  Synagogue,  and  even  now  he  reads  daily  every 
word  of  the  prescribed  prayers.  He  fasts  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans,  and 
on  the  Day  of  Atonement.  The  dietary  laws  he  obeys 
11 


242  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Ilontefiore. 

to  the  letter,  and  tlirougliout  his  life  he  has  rigorously 
abstained  from  tasting  the  flesh  of  animals  that  divide 
not  the  hoof  nor  chew  the  cud.  With  these  traditional 
observances  he  unites  a  literal  adherence  to  the  hopes 
of  a  national  restoration  of  Israel  as  expressed  by  the 
Prophets  and  Eabbis.  When  questioned  on  the  sub^ 
ject  some  years  ago,  he  answered  with  a  satisfied  smile, 
"I  am  quite  certain  of  it;  it  has  been  my  constant 
dream,  and  I  hope  will  be  realized  some  day  when  I 
shall  be  no  more."  To  the  objection  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  gather  in  the  Israelites  scattered  in  all  the 
corners  of  the  globe,  he  replied,  "  I  do  not  expect  that 
all  Israelites  will  quit  their  abodes  in  those  territories  in 
which  they  feel  happy,  even  as  there  are  Englishmen  in 
Hungary,  Germany,  America,  and  Japan ;  but  Palestine 
must  belong  to  the  Jews,  and  Jerusalem  is  destined  to 
become  the  seat  of  a  Jewish  Empire." 

It  is  notable  that  critics  of  Judaism  who  find  a  dan- 
gerous narrowness  in  this  creed — they  call  it  "  tribalism" 
— have  never  attempted  to  explain  the  phenomenon  ol 
its  development  in  the  person  of  Moses  Montefiore,  of  the 
most  unrestricted  humanitarianism.  The  noble  spirit 
with  which  it  has  inspired  him  is  illustrated  by  his  entire 
career ;  but,  happily,  in  many  of  his  letters  he  has  given 
it  a  definite  expression  upon  which  those  who  come 
after  him  may  do  well  to  ponder.  The  following  let 
ter,*  for  example,  which  he  addressed  five  years  ago  to 
the  editor  of  a  Jewish  journal  published  at  Philadelphia, 
breathes  a  spirit  with  which  his  co-religionists  cannot  be 
made  too  extensively  acquainted : 

*  Jewish  World,  Jan.  2,  1880. 


Conclusion.  243 

"East  Cliff  Lodge,  Ramsgate, 
"  Bosh  Eodesh  Kislev,  5640. 

"  Deab  Sm :  My  attention  has  recently  been  drawn 
to  a  notice  you  have  given  in  the  Jewish  Recm^d  of  the 
95th  anniversary  of  my  birthday,  accompanied  by  a 
prayer  referring  to  some  important  events  in  the  history 
of  Israel  which  occurred  in  our  own  time. 

"  It  is  not  with  the  purpose  of  conveying  ray  special 
thanks  to  you  for  the  flattering  expressions  you  thought 
proper  to  introduce  on  that  occasion,  that  I  trouble 
you  with  these  lines,  knowing  such  to  have  been  dic- 
tated to  you  by  the  good  opinion  you  entertain  of  my 
humble  efforts  to  serve  in  a  good  cause,  overrating  the 
little  merit  I  may,  to  a  certain  degree,  have  thereby 
earned ;  but  I  am  prompted  to  address  you  by  a  desire 
of  manifesting  to  you  my  appreciation  of  the  important 
service  you  render  to  all  Hebrew  communities,  when 
recalling  to  their  memory,  from  time  to  time,  the  com- 
forting assurance  that  '  the  Guardian  of  Israel  neither 
slumbereth  nor  sleepeth ; '  that  He  shows  mercy"  to  the 
innocent  sufferer  at  times  when  all  hope  had  been  aban- 
doned by  him ;  and  that  the  Omnipotent  will  never 
withdraw  His  protecting  grace  from  all  who  strictly 
abide  by  the  law  He  revealed  on  Sinai.  Our  brethi-en, 
I  am  happy  to  say,  still  evince  that  ardent  love  towards 
one  another,  as  in  times  of  old ;  they  constitute,  as  it 
were,  all  over  the  world,  one  body,  and  the  sufferings 
of  those  who  live  in  the  remotest  parts  of  the  globe,  as 
soon  as  they  become  known  to  them,  touch  their  hearts, 
and  find  sympathy  in  every  Jewish  family.  The  He- 
brew communities  in  America  ai-e  pre-eminently  distin- 
guished by  that  characteristic  trait  of  Israel.  On  aU 
occasions,  when  the  cry  of  anguish  reaches  their  ear. 


244  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

promptly  and  most  generously  they  offer  their  noble 
contributions  to  assuage  the  sufferings  of  the  brother. 
And  I  ascribe  the  cause  of  it  to  their  innate  feeling  of 
benevolence,  intensely  aroused  by  the  eloquent  ad- 
dresses they  hear  from  men  of  great  learning  and  piety, 
re-echoed  from  house  to  house  by  the  powerful  appeals 
from  learned  and  conscientious  editors  of  journals,  rais- 
ing high  the  banner  of  Israel  for  the  vindication  of  our 
holy  religion. 

"  You,  my  dear  sir,  are  one  of  those  zealous  brothers 
•who  stand  in  the  breach  to  defend  the  sacred  cause ; 
great  is  your  merit,  and  greater  still  the  reward  you  earn 
by  the  consciousness  of  cordially  associating  yourself 
with  all  the  earnest  laborers  in  the  vineyard  of  God — 
your  heart  surely  must  be  full  with  joy. 

"  Permit  me,  dear  sir,  to  entertain  the  hope  that  you 
will  continue  to  avail  yourself  of  every  opportunity  to 
preserve,  and,  where  necessary,  to  rekindle,  that  spirit 
of  devotion,  that  holy  zeal  which  constitutes  the  life  of 
Israel.  Continue  to  retain  in  the  heart  of  our  brethren 
that  indomitable  courage  which  made  our  forefathers 
plead  the  cause  of  our  religion  in  the  presence  of  kings, 
and  never  felt  ashamed  of  performing  those  Heavenly 
Commandments  which  are  binding  upon  them  as  Israel- 
ites. 

"You  will  have  no  difficulty  among  our  American 
brethren  in  executing  so  pleasing  a  task.  I  know  many 
instances  of  their  devotion  to  all  that  is  good  and  holy, 
and  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  they  will  gladly 
avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  follow  any  of 
your  suggestions,  by  which  the  children  may  be  enabled 
to  follow  the  footsteps  of  their  fathers  and  forefathers 
in  the  fear  of  God. 


Conclusion.  245 

"  As  for  myself,  as  long  as  God  will  bless  me  with 
health  and  strength,  as  long  as  my  hand  is  able  to  move, 
my  feet  to  walk,  and  my  eyes  to  see,  I  will  not  cease  to 
remember  all  the  mercies  God  has  shown  to  Israel,  and 
the  promises  he  vouchsafed  unto  ns. 

"  Zealously  and  cheerfully  I  will,  conjointly  with  our 
faithful  brethren,  hold  high  the  banner  of  Jerusalem, 
always  praying  that  we  may  live  to  see  the  great  day 
when  the  name  of  God,  as  One  God,  will  be  adored 
among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

"  With  best  regards,  I  am,  dear  sir, 
"  Yours  very  truly, 

"Moses  Montefioke." 

In  connection  with  the  question  of  the  so-called 
"tribalism"  of  Judaism,  the  inquiry  has  of  late  years 
been  raised  whether  orthodox  Jews  can  be  patriots ;  and 
even  in  England  a  prominent  writer  lias  been  found 
to  maintain  the  negative  of  this  proposition  ;  and  yet  it 
is  indubitable  that  the  Queen  of  that  happy  realm  has  no 
subject  more  loyal  than  the  orthodox  Jew,  Moses  Monte- 
fiore.  To  be  faithful  to  the  land  of  one's  adoption  is  a 
teaching  to  which  the  Jewish  Rabbis  have  given  great 
prominence  ;  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  Sir  Moses 
Montefiore  has  urged  it  upon  his  brethren,  even  when 
they  have  been  suffering  the  direst  persecution.  One 
instance  may  here  be  quoted — a  letter  he  addressed  to  the 
Jews  of  Morocco  shortly  after  his  return  from  his  memor- 
able mission  to  that  unenlightened  country.     The  letter 

was  as  follows : 

' '  East  Cliff  Lodge,  Ramsqate, 

"  Qth  Elul-Wi  September,  5634—1864. 
"  My  deae  Brethren  aistd  Friends  : 

"  Throughout  the  world,  a  chief  characteristic  of  the 


246  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Jews  is  that  of  being  loyal,  obedient,  and  peaceful  sub- 
jects of  their  Sovereign.  From  what  I  have  seen  and 
know  of  my  brethren  in  Morocco,  I  feel  assured  they 
are  not  exceptions  to  this  universally  admitted  truth. 
The  precepts  inculcating  this  conduct  are  enforced  on  us 
by  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  and  by  the  wise  exhortations 
of  our  Sages.  Unless  due  respect  be  paid  to  the  just 
exercise  of  legally  constituted  authority,  there  can  be 
neither  order  nor  safety.  Happily,  the  Imperial  Edict 
of  your  august  Sovereign  is  iu  tended  to  sustain  the 
cause  of  justice  and  humanity  throughout  the  Moorish 
Empire ;  and  though  it  may  be  that,  in  some  places,  the 
subordinate  authorities  abuse  the  powers  with  which  they 
are  intrusted,  let  it  not  be  said  that  their  severity  or 
wrong-doing  is  attributable  to  any  manifestation  of  dis- 
respect on  your  part.  You  must  never  for  a  moment 
forget  the  loyalty,  the  affection  and  respect  due  to  your 
Sovereign,  on  whom  you  must  rely,  and  to  whom,  in 
case  of  need,  you  must  appeal  for  protection  against 
oppression,  and  redress  for  injury.  Let  neither  actions 
nor  words  from  you  induce  your  fellow-countrymen  of 
the  Mahometan  Faith  to  suppose  that  you  are  in  any 
way  unmindful  or  regardless  of  your  duties  as  subjects 
of  His  Imperial  Majesty ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  that  it 
is  your  ardent  desire,  and  most  anxious  wish,  to  testify 
your  love  and  obedience  towards  him,  and  also  to  culti- 
vate the  esteem  and  good-will  of  your  fellow-country- 
men. It  is  by  conduct  such  as  this,  we  may  hope,  that, 
under  the  Almighty's  blessing,  the  hearts  of  those  who 
would  molest  or  injure  you  will  be  softened ;  or  that, 
should  injustice  be  done,  it  will  be  speedily  and  surely 
punished.  Most  ardently  and  most  anxiously  do  I  desire 
your  welfare.     To  promote  this  I  have  labored  with  in- 


Conclusion.  247 

tense  anxiety,  I  know  full  well,  that  these  my  words 
are  conveyed  to  willing  listeners — to  those  who  fully  re- 
cognize their  truth ;  and  I  feel  sure  that  you  \\all,  to  the 
utmost  of  your  abihty,  seek  to  give  effect  to  my  wishes. 
Over  the  poor  and  less  educated  classes  of  our  brethren 
in  Morocco  let  your  watchful  care  be  exercised  so  far  as 
in  you  lies,  so  that  they  pay  due  obedience  and  respect 
to  the  constituted  authorities  ;  let  them  be  patient  under 
small  annoyances,  but  firm  and  reliant  on  their  august 
Sovereign,  who  will  not  fail  to  punish  those  who  abuse 
his  commands,  disregard  his  Edict,  or  venture  to  inflict 
serious  wrong  upon  his  Jewish  subjects.  I  trust  and 
believe  that  in  such  cases  the  ear  of  your  august  Sover- 
eign will  ever  be  open  to  your  cry. 

"  May  it  be  the  will  of  God  to  remove  from  you  all 
further  suffering,  and  to  inspire  your  rulers  ^vith  the 
spirit  of  humanity  and  justice,  and  to  grant  to  your 
august  Sovereign  a  long  and  happy  reign. 

"  This  is  the  heartfelt  prayer  of 

"  Yours  faithfully, 

"Moses  Mo^TEFIOEE." 

Not  less  practical  than  his  religion  has  been  his  charity. 
The  common  form  of  charity — that  of  staying  at  home 
in  one's  easy -chair,  and  signing  checks  upon  one's  bank- 
ers whenever  appealed  to — has  not  been  the  charity  of 
Moses  Montefiore.  In  addition  to  his  money,  he  has 
taken  his  personal  earnestness  and  exertions  wherever 
good  work  was  to  be  done.  It  has  been  well  observed, 
that  "  you  cannot  draw  checks  for  this  sort  of  charity ; 
bankers  don't  lock  the  article  up  in  their  strong-room ; 
and  dividends  are  not  paid  upon  it  till  this  world's 
quarter-days  are  over."     It  comes  out  of  the  endless 


248  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

wealth  of  a  good  heart,  loving  its  fellows,  and  ready  to 
give  more  than  its  superfluity  for  their  sake  ;  and  where 
it  goes,  it  effects  what  money  alone  is  weak  to  do. 
Sir  Moses  Montefiore  is  as  ready  as  he  is  practical. 
About  forty  years  ago,  he  was  proj)Osed  as  a  candidate  for 
a  presentation  Governorship  of  Christ's  Hospital,  but  was 
strongly  opposed  by  a  Christian  clergyman.  On  thi 
his  friends  related  the  cause  of  his  desiring  the  honoi-. 
Some  weeks  previously  he  had  been  travelling  by  water 
to  his  country-seat  at  Ramsgate,  when  he  was  accosted 
on  board  the  steamer  by  a  man,  who  asked  him  for 
pecuniary  assistance.  He  inquired  into  the  cause  of  the 
man's  distress,  and  having  given  him  a  sum  of  money, 
appointed  a  day  for  him  to  call  at  East  Cliff  Lodge  to 
be  further  relieved.  The  next  morning  Sir  Moses 
received  a  letter  from  the  same  individual,  stating  that 
being  irretrievably  ruined  he  had  determined  to  commit 
suicide,  and  asking  the  philanthropist,  on  whom  he  con- 
fessed he  had  no  claim,  to  care  for  his  wife  and  son.  In 
the  course  of  the  day  the  writer  was  found  dead  at  the 
foot  of  the  cliff.  Sir  Moses  generously  pensioned  the 
widow,  and  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  get  the  boy 
into  Christ's  Hospital.  This  was  the  reason  that  he 
wished  to  obtain  a  presentation  Governorship,  and  he 
was  ready,  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  institu- 
tion, to  subscribe  £500  to  its  funds.  Needless  to  add, 
he  was  elected. 

Of  Sir  Moses'  courtesy  and  geniality  many  anecdotes 
are  related.  Coming  up  to  town  in  his  reserved  saloon 
in  the  Ramsgate  train,  he  would  frequently  offer  a  seat 
to  strangers  whom  he  saw  incommoded  by  the  pressure 
of  tourists,  and  sometimes  in  London  send  them  home 
in  his  own  carriage,  walking  or  taking  a  cab  himself.     A 


Conclusion.  249 

barrister  having  sent  his  clerk  to  him  with  a  letter  after 
oiSce  hours,  the  baronet  asked  the  boy  to  read  to  him, 
and  being  pleased  with  his  elocution,  kept  him  to  din- 
ner, and  gave  him  a  copy  of  "  Shakespeare."  Of  young 
folks  he  has  always  been  fond :  and  he  possesses  the 
rare  faculty  of  engaging  their  confidence,  and  making 
them  at  home.  Not  many  months  ago  he  appeared  at 
a  charity  bazaar,  and  bought  continuously  a  great  quan- 
tity of  toys  and  trinkets,  which  he  as  continuously  gave 
away  to  the  hungry-eyed  youngsters  who  crowded  round 
him.  At  festival  seasons  he  delighted  while  Lady 
Montefiore  was  living  to  ask  home  to  his  hospitable  house 
visitors  who  attended  his  Synagogue.  An  instance  of 
his  thoughtfulness  is  related  by  the  late  Mr.  Sidney 
Samuel,  in  his  "  Jewish  Life  in  the  East."  Describing 
his  visit  to  Jaffa,  Mr.  Samuel  says : 

"  I  heard  from  my  estimable  and  hospitable  host  of 
one  of  tliose  acts  of  politeness  and  kindly  courtesy  on 
the  part  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  which  contribute  so 
much  to  endear  the  name  of  one  who  so  worthily  up- 
holds the  dignity  of  Judaism  to  all  who  have  the  good 
fortune  to  know  him.  Residing  for  thirteen  days  in 
the  house  of  my  host,  on  the  occasion  of  his  recent  visit 
to  the  Holy  Land,  he  noticed  that  the  daughter  of  the 
house,  who  had  presented  him  with  a  beautifully  em- 
broidered TejpTiillin'^  bag,  was  a  musician.  Not  con- 
tent with  sending  the  father  a  valuable  gift,  he  gave  the 
young  lady  a  handsome  piano,  and  a  box  of  musical 
publications,  which  derive  additional  value  from  the  fact 
of  their  having  belonged  to  the  late  Lady  Montefiore ; 
and  he  has  since  on  the  festive  occasions  of  Purim  kept 
her  supplied  with  the  latest  music." 

*  Phylacteries. 
11* 


250  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefore. 

Although  his  brethren,  from  their  unprotected  state, 
have  always  had  the  first  claim  on  his  benevolence, 
Sir  Moses'  charity  has  not  been  confined  to  them.  His 
is  almost  always  the  first  response  to  every  appeal, 
irrespective  of  religious  differences.  Not  a  Mansion 
House  list  is  published  but  it  includes  his  name ;  and 
his  private  charity  knows  no  sectarian  limits.  Last 
year  he  sent  to  the  Sheriff's  fund  for  the  relief  of 
prisoners  discharged  from  Newgate  a  pound  for  every 
year  of  his  long  life.  The  year  before,  Lord  Shaftes- 
bury, happening  to  meet  the  Delegate  Chief  Rabbi, 
exclaimed,  "  Your  great  Judas  Maccabeus  has  just  sent 
me  £98  for  my  Ragged  Schools !"  Countless  charities 
are  benefited  in  the  same  way.  During  the  anxieties  of 
the  Russo-Jewish  persecution  he  found  time  to  send 
£500  towards  the  building-fund  of  the  City  of  London 
College,  accompanying  his  check  with  a  graceful  and 
sympathetic  letter. 

His  catholicity  is  equally  exemplary.  In  1865  the 
cholera  broke  out  in  Smyrna,  and  the  Jews  suffering 
severely,  Mr.  Hj^de  Clarke  telegraphed  for  help  to  Sir 
Moses  Montefiore  and  Sir  Francis  Goldsmid.  From 
both  he  received  telegrams  empowering  him  to  spend 
a  sum  of  money,  and  when  their  letters  arrived  they 
were  found  to  be  couched  in  almost  identical  terms. 
This  is  the  version  given  by  Mr.  Clarke:  "We  have 
sent  you  money,  as  you  have  asked,  for  the  Jews,  but 
our  practice  in  life  has  been  to  give  alms  without  con- 
sideration of  race  or  creed.  If,  therefore,  you  find 
there  are  others  in  greater  distress  than  the  Jews,  we 
beg  you  to  help  them  rather  than  the  Jews."  Another 
instance  is  related  by  Mr.  Edwin  Arnold.  Some  years 
ago  Mr.  Arnold  desired  to  establish  a  hospital  at  Naza- 


Conclusion.  251 

reth,  on  a  piece  of  ground  which  was  the  very  spot  where 
the  Synagogue  was  built,  in  which  Jesus  stood  up  to 
read  the  Scriptures.  He  applied  to  Sir  Moses  for  assist- 
ance. "  Certainly,"  was  the  brief  but  cordial  reply. 
"  "What  will  you  have  ?  Only  name  the  sum."  He 
gives  subscriptions  to  churches  and  chapels,  as  well  as 
synagogues ;  and  he  has  obtained  benefices  for  deserv- 
ing clergymen.  The  late  Archbishop  Tait  often  visited 
East  Cliff;  and  Sir  Moses  generously  assisted  in  Mrs. 
Tait's  charitable  labors.  The  busts  of  the  Archbishop 
and  his  wife,  in  the  latter's  Orphanage  at  Thanet,  were 
presented  by  Sir  Moses.  He  was  a  subscriber  to  the 
Dean  Stanley  Memorial  Fund.  When  he  was  High 
Sheriff  of  Kent,  his  chaplain  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sickle- 
more,  the  Yicar  of  St.  Lawrence ;  and  since  he  has 
resided  in  the  county,  the  clergy  of  the  various  denomi- 
nations have  always  acted  as  his  almoners. 

In  Ramsgate  he  enjoys  unbounded  popularity.  Dur- 
ing his  sixty-five  years'  residence  in  the  neighborhood 
he  has  been  foremost  in  every  work  of  benevolence. 
Not  a  society  has  been  started  to  which  he  has  not  sub- 
scribed, and  he  has  even  assisted  in  building  the  local 
churches.  The  schools  have  been  an  especial  object  of 
his  benevolent  interest,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion 
he  has  obtained  holidays  for  the  pupils,  and  has  enter- 
tained them  by  the  thousand.  The  inmates  of  the  work- 
houses revere  him.  Until  a  year  or  two  ago  it  was  his 
practice  to  pay  them  periodical  visits,  and  he  always 
came  loaded  with  articles  of  comfort  which  he  person- 
ally distributed  among  them.  One  of  the  visiting 
magistrates  relates  that  on  the  first  occasion  of  his 
inspecting  the  Union,  an  old  lady  came  forward,  and  on 
behalf  of  the  other  inmates  said,  "  When  you  see  Sir 


252  TJie  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

Moses  Montefiore,  sir,  will  jou  convey  our  very  grate- 
ful and  heartfelt  thanks  to  him  for  his  benevolence  to 
us  all."  On  the  occasion  of  his  ninety-ninth  birthday 
an  address  written  by  one  of  the  inmates  was  presented 
"  To  the  Eight  Honorable  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  Bart.," 
and,  in  acknowledgment  of  his  "  unvarying  kindness  to 
the  poor,"  the  working-men  of  St.  Luke's  Parish  pre- 
sented him  four  years  ago  with  a  handsome  Bible  in 
Hebrew  and  English.  The  widows  and  orphans  of 
Ramsgate  fishermen  are  also  objects  of  his  solicitude. 
His  own  experiences  of  the  high  seas  enable  him  to 
sympathize  with  those  who  have  to  brave  the  dangers 
of  the  deep  for  a  living.  On  his  last  birthday  he  said 
earnestly  to  a  deputation  of  Life-boat  men,  who  pre 
sented  him  with  a  congratulatory  address,  "You  are 
brave  fellows.  When  I  hear  the  wind  blow  I  know  yon 
are  out  in  your  life-boat,  and  I  pray  to  God  for  your 
safety."  In  1868  the  townsmen  of  Ramsgate  subscribed 
for  a  portrait  of  the  benevolent  baronet,  which  they 
placed  in  their  Town  Hall.  It  was  painted  by  Mr.  S.  A. 
Hart,  R.A.,  and  represents  Sir  Moses  attired  in  the  cos- 
tume of  a  Deputy-Lieutenant,  standing  on  a  hill  overlook- 
ing Jerusalem,  with  the  walls  of  the  Holy  City  and  the 
Dome  of  the  Mosque  of  St.  Omar  in  the  background. 
Another  portrait,  which  hangs  in  the  Board-room  of  the 
Alliance  Insurance  Company,  is  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Richmond, 
R.A. 

On  the  eve  of  completing  the  hundredth  year  of  his 
life  Sir  Moses  Montefiore  is  still  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health,  genial  as  ever,  a  cordial  host,  and  a  delightful 
conversationalist.  Six  feet  three  inches  in  height  and 
stooping  but  slightly,  he  presents  a  striking  figure  to  the 
visitor  who  sees  him  for  the  first  time.     His  attire,  with 


Conclusion.  253 

its  huge  white  neckcloth,  ample  frill  and  high-collared 
coat,  is  of  a  period  that  has  passed  into  histoiy,  but  it  is 
still  arranged  with  the  old-world  neatness  and  eles^ance 
of  the  punctilious  days  of  the  Fourth  George.  But  if 
his  dress  is  old-fashioned,  his  expression  and  manner  are 
of  all  time.  The  cordial  grasp  of  his  hand,  his  benign 
mien,  the  kindness  and  good-humored  wisdom  of  his 
conversation  are  bevond  the  aging  touch  of  fashion. 
His  interest  in  public  affairs  is  still  intelligent  and  keen, 
and  he  is  a  wide  reader  of  newspapers  and  periodicals. 
All  his  letters  have  his  personal  attention,  and  he  directs 
every  detail  of  the  work  of  his  secretaries.  He  has  his 
favorite  books,  and  takes  especial  delight  in  Sturm's 
"  Keflections"  and  Cicero  "  De  Senectute." 

The  order  of  his  life  is  necessarily  somewhat  method- 
ical. He  rises  at  eleven,  and  retires  to  rest  at  nine. 
During  the  day  he  sits  chiefly  in  the  bay-window  of  his 
bedroom,  which  overlooks  the  sea ;  but  occasionally  he 
ventures  into  the  adjoining  apartment,  a  cheerful  room, 
decked  with  portraits  of  Lady  Montefiore,  Sir  Anthony 
de  Rothschild,  and  Captain  Keppel,  and  containing  a 
bust,  by  Weekes,  of  Lord  Hammond.  In  fine  weather 
he  drives  out  and  visits  the  grave  of  liis  wife.  "Were  he 
asked  to  reveal  the  secret  of  his  longevity  he  would 
probably  repeat  the  quaint  recipe  of  an  eminent  French 
physiologist :  "  Fuir  I'exces  en  tout ;  respecter  les 
vieilles  habitudes ;  respirer  un  air  pur ;  approprier  les 
aliments  a  son  temperament;  fuir  les  medecines  et  les 
medecins  ;  avoir  le  coeur  tranquille,  le  cceur  gai,  I'esprit 
satisfait." 

Such,  in  brief  outline,  is  the  man  who  now,  amid  a 
chorus  of  congratulations,  is  approaching  the  completion 
of  the  hundredth  year  of  his  life,  a  life  which  has  been 


254  The  Life  of  Sir  Moses  Montefiore. 

pronounced  from  the  Throne  itself  to  have  been  "use- 
ful and  honorable."  *  Future  generations  will  doubtless 
enlarge  upon  this  Rojal  estimate  of  Sir  Moses  Monte- 
fiore's  career;  but  it  would  not  conduce  to  historic 
accuracy  were  the  writer  of  these  pages,  in  the  presence 
of  an  actuality  which  dwarfs  so  much  else,  to  attempt 
an  anticipation  of  their  verdict.  That  the  history  of 
philanthropy  will  write  an  approving  word  after  his 
name  none  can  doubt ;  that  Jewish  history  will  devote 
a  large  share  of  its  fifty-seventh- century  chapter  to  his 
achievements,  and  to  the  spirit  by  which  he  has  ijcen 
actuated,  this  faint  record  will  show.  But  these  are 
questions  with  which  at  present  we  have  happily  noth- 
ing to  do.  Our  duty  now  is  only  to  congratulate  the 
venerable  philanthropist  upon  the  happy  anniversary 
which  was  celebrated  on  the  26tli  October.  Upon 
such  an  occasion  we  cannot  do  better  than  relate  to  the 
generation  which  has  grown  up  since  Moses  Monte- 
fiore's  most  active  woi-k  was  performed  the  story  of  the 
life  which  has  earned  so  much  of  the  good- will  of  men. 
If  these  pages  help  in  the  performance  of  that  duty 
they  will  have  fulfilled  their  purpose. 

*  Congratulatory  telegram  of   the  Queen  on  Sir  Moses'  ninety- 
ninth  birthday. 


THE   END. 


